How might we support humane education by sophisticated design system?
By designing with accessibility, creativity, and whimsicality.
Where
does
Monroe
live?
A mini guideline of facts about Charlie’s Acres for you!
animal residents
acres
=
football fields
Sanctuary
Who are we?
Why animal sanctuary?
/ˈsæŋk.tʃu.er.i/ noun.
a place of refuge and protection.
CALIFORNIA
NORTH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
SONOMA IS ALSO HOME TO
WE’RE AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY
ABOUT SONOMA
SONOMA IS A POPULAR PLACE OF
HABITATS
VINEYARDS
FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Dec- Feb
March- Nov
Summer
Winter
HOT
DRY
MILD
WET
Oak
Redwood Forests
Grasslands
Marshes
Grapes are grown here for wine
HOUR
MINUTES
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
It almost never snows here!
Many people know about cat and dog rescue, and we hope to show people why we think other kinds of animals deserve our kindness, too!
150
32
24
1
45
we’re here!
Sonoma
Mediterranean
Climate
Fun facts
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
Monroe’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Monroe
Duck / Call
Foraging
Flying
Digging
Snuggling with her friends
Playing with toys
Species/ Breed
Delilah the duck, Ralph the rooster, and a number of other duck and chicken friends who share her space
Best friends
Lettuce
Abandoned at a park when she was a newborn duckling
Favorite Snack
Duck food, grass, bugs, worms
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
May 17, 2021
May 21, 2021
Swimming
Hey how’s it going?
Roger’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Roger
Sheep / St. Croix
Sunbathing
Nuzzling
Grazing
Species/ Breed
Lucy and Amos the sheep
Best friends
Popsicles, bananas
Born at a farm where sheep were raised for meat, farmers agreed to let us take him after he went blind
Favorite Snacks
Grass, leaves, salt licks
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
February 3, 2015
February 5, 2019
Welcome baaa-ck!
>
Accessible Design System for Humane Education
Project Type
Nonprofit
Tools
Figma, Procreate, Illustrator
My Role
As a volunteer designer at Charlie’s Acres, I supported their education program by creating visuals and evolving their design system into a more accessible and versatile framework.
Impact
After the launch of my design, the program experienced a record-breaking 74% growth, reaching over 5,000 students nationwide, while the updated design system continues to inform future projects across print and digital formats.
Defining Success
Accessibility
Design must be understandable and relatable for children through adults, with clear iconography, readable colors, and inclusive layouts.
Usability & Adoptability
Non-designer staff should be able to use the design system with minimal effort. Creative assets should be easy to apply in tools staff already use (e.g., Canva, Google Slides).
Brand Integrity
New components must maintain existing brand equity while expanding versatility.
Impact on Engagement
Creative assets should strengthen audience connection. I used a more whimsical, character-driven style to highlight the animals’ personalities and reinforce the message that farmed animals deserve respect and justice.
Pain Points? Opportunities!
Using the Virtual Class Pet Program as an example, the initial request was to design visually engaging infographics for children and teachers. Through this work, I uncovered a deeper challenge of understanding and supporting the full journey of how children discover, interact with, and emotionally connect with the program.
TLDRThis project went beyond visual appeal. It required evolving the design system to support the end to end experience and intentionally shaping the emotional bond the sanctuary wants to build with children, helping them see farmed animals as individuals worthy of care and respect.
Thanks for watching!
See More
Back to top
Scalable Livestream Chat Moderation
I designed a dual-panel AI-powered chat moderation system that reinforces trust, safety, and brand integrity..
9:41
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us to help improve your experience?
Submit
Back
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9:41
Next
Back
How would you describe the condition of the café?
Drink & food prep area
Dine-in area (if used)
Bathroom (if used)
Register area
Area
Rating
Poor
Excellent
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9:41
Next
Back
Were you given enough information about:
(select all that apply)
Estimated wait time
Peak times (longer wait)
Help from staff when needed
Confirmation that my needs (e.g., allergy) were taken care of
None of the above
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Boost Retention Rate in a B2C User Experience
I conducted user research and redesigned the survey to build a pipeline for feedback from customers.
For the full case study, please view it on a desktop!
Deliverables
Combining the expanded design system, playful aestetics, I delivered infographics followed up with iconography
Info Sheet for Teachers Participating in the Program
Where
does
Monroe
live?
A mini guideline of facts about Charlie’s Acres for you!
animal residents
acres
=
football fields
Sanctuary
Who are we?
Why animal sanctuary?
/ˈsæŋk.tʃu.er.i/ noun.
a place of refuge and protection.
CALIFORNIA
NORTH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
SONOMA IS ALSO HOME TO
WE’RE AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY
ABOUT SONOMA
SONOMA IS A POPULAR PLACE OF
HABITATS
VINEYARDS
FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Dec- Feb
March- Nov
Summer
Winter
HOT
DRY
MILD
WET
Oak
Redwood Forests
Grasslands
Marshes
Grapes are grown here for wine
HOUR
MINUTES
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
It almost never snows here!
Many people know about cat and dog rescue, and we hope to show people why we think other kinds of animals deserve our kindness, too!
150
32
24
1
45
we’re here!
Sonoma
Mediterranean
Climate
Fun facts
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
Fun Fact Sheet for Children Who Adopted an Animal
Monroe’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Monroe
Duck / Call
Foraging
Flying
Digging
Snuggling with her friends
Playing with toys
Species/ Breed
Delilah the duck, Ralph the rooster, and a number of other duck and chicken friends who share her space
Best friends
Lettuce
Abandoned at a park when she was a newborn duckling
Favorite Snack
Duck food, grass, bugs, worms
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
May 17, 2021
May 21, 2021
Swimming
Hey how’s it going?
What’s Charlie’s Acres?
It’s a Sonoma-based nonprofit sanctuary for rescued farmed animals that promotes compassion and sustainability through education.
The Problems
- The previous creative assets are inconsistent, hard-to-use, and with low clarity.
- They do not have their own set of iconography for their animal residents.
Who did I work with?
I collaborated with the program manager, sanctuary director, and marketing team on concept development, iteration, and delivery of final design assets.
What is the impact?
- The program reached more than 5,000 students nationwide, representing a 74% increase compared to last year.
- My design assets contributed to 8.5M social media impressions and supported engagement from over 7,000 email subscribers.
- New icons inform the design decision of future projects.
How might we support humane education by sophisticated design system?
By designing with accessibility, creativity, and whimsicality.
Where
does
Monroe
live?
A mini guideline of facts about Charlie’s Acres for you!
animal residents
acres
=
football fields
Sanctuary
Who are we?
Why animal sanctuary?
/ˈsæŋk.tʃu.er.i/ noun.
a place of refuge and protection.
CALIFORNIA
NORTH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
SONOMA IS ALSO HOME TO
WE’RE AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY
ABOUT SONOMA
SONOMA IS A POPULAR PLACE OF
HABITATS
VINEYARDS
FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Dec- Feb
March- Nov
Summer
Winter
HOT
DRY
MILD
WET
Oak
Redwood Forests
Grasslands
Marshes
Grapes are grown here for wine
HOUR
MINUTES
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
It almost never snows here!
Many people know about cat and dog rescue, and we hope to show people why we think other kinds of animals deserve our kindness, too!
150
32
24
1
45
we’re here!
Sonoma
Mediterranean
Climate
Fun facts
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
Monroe’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Monroe
Duck / Call
Foraging
Flying
Digging
Snuggling with her friends
Playing with toys
Species/ Breed
Delilah the duck, Ralph the rooster, and a number of other duck and chicken friends who share her space
Best friends
Lettuce
Abandoned at a park when she was a newborn duckling
Favorite Snack
Duck food, grass, bugs, worms
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
May 17, 2021
May 21, 2021
Swimming
Hey how’s it going?
Roger’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Roger
Sheep / St. Croix
Sunbathing
Nuzzling
Grazing
Species/ Breed
Lucy and Amos the sheep
Best friends
Popsicles, bananas
Born at a farm where sheep were raised for meat, farmers agreed to let us take him after he went blind
Favorite Snacks
Grass, leaves, salt licks
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
February 3, 2015
February 5, 2019
Welcome baaa-ck!
>
Accessible Design System for Humane Education
▲ You can pet them with your mouse! (They’re a little shy tho)
Project Type
Nonprofit
Tools
Figma, Procreate, Illustrator
My Role
As a volunteer designer at Charlie’s Acres, I supported their education program by creating visuals and evolving their design system into a more accessible and versatile framework.
Impact
After the launch of my design, the program experienced a record-breaking 74% growth, reaching over 5,000 students nationwide, while the updated design system continues to inform future projects across print and digital formats.
Defining Success
Accessibility
Design must be understandable and relatable for children through adults, with clear iconography, readable colors, and inclusive layouts.
Usability & Adoptability
Non-designer staff should be able to use the design system with minimal effort. Creative assets should be easy to apply in tools staff already use (e.g., Canva, Google Slides).
Brand Integrity
New components must maintain existing brand equity while expanding versatility.
Impact on Engagement
Creative assets should strengthen audience connection. I used a more whimsical, character-driven style to highlight the animals’ personalities and reinforce the message that farmed animals deserve respect and justice.
What is Charlie’s Acres?
It’s a Sonoma-based nonprofit sanctuary for rescued farmed animals that promotes compassion and sustainability through education.
The Problems
- The previous creative assets are inconsistent, hard-to-use, and with low clarity.
- They do not have their own set of iconography for their animal residents.
Who did I work with?
I collaborated with the program manager, sanctuary director, and marketing team on concept development, iteration, and delivery of final design assets.
What is the impact?
- The program reached more than 5,000 students nationwide, representing a 74% increase compared to last year.
- My design assets contributed to 8.5M social media impressions and supported engagement from over 7,000 email subscribers.
- New icons inform the design decision of future projects.
Pain Points? Opportunities!
Using the Virtual Class Pet Program as an example, the initial request was to design visually engaging infographics for children and teachers. Through this work, I uncovered a deeper challenge of understanding and supporting the full journey of how children discover, interact with, and emotionally connect with the program.
TLDRThis project went beyond visual appeal. It required evolving the design system to support the end to end experience and intentionally shaping the emotional bond the sanctuary wants to build with children, helping them see farmed animals as individuals worthy of care and respect.
Be interested
Be a part of program
Behavioral change
Feel attached
Know about it
“What is virtual pet program?”
“I can virtually adopt a farmed animal!”
“I can send birthday card to Monroe, the duck we adopted in class.”
“Monroe seems very happy with the card. I’m so glad!”
“Farmed animal is our friend.”
Novelty
Sense of Achievement
Enjoyability
Emotional Bonding
Commitment
Expanded the design system and created child-friendly assets to better support marketing and education needs
Introduced visually engaging materials to improve understanding and participation
Used playful, whimsical design to highlight each resident’s unique personality and foster empathy
The existing design system lacked secondary styles, leading to inconsistent materials and weakened brand clarity
Teaching materials relied mainly on plain text and photos, limiting engagement
Existing content introduced animal residents but lacked emotional connection
STAGES
PRIORITY
PAIN POINTS
OPPORTUNITIES
Turkey
Duck
Cow
Hen
Pig
Sheep
Rooster
Goose
Goat
Iconography
Playful, Whimsical Design for Emotional Bondings
To deepen the emotional bonding of children with the animals, I created the illustrations of the animal residents combined with daily elements.
Before
Just Plain Text
Children found it hard to imagine with so little description of the adopted animals
Honey loves chasing balls.
Naomi loves hanging out with her friends.
Monroe loves playing with toys.
After
Illustrations that bring out personality
I wanted to present them as more than animals, giving them a human touch. They have favorite activities, friends, and need companionship just like us, to foster empathy.
Honey the jersey cow loves chasing balls.
So why not with a national jersey?
Naomi is a goat who uses a wheelchair.
As a goat, she has made a diverse group of friends, just like us.
Baby Monroe with his stuffed monkey.
I wanted to show Monroe’s growth alongside a stuffed animal, like a human child.
Thanks for watching!
See More
Back to top
Scalable Livestream Chat Moderation
I designed a dual-panel AI-powered chat moderation system that reinforces trust, safety, and brand integrity..
9:41
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us to help improve your experience?
Submit
Back
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9:41
Next
Back
How would you describe the condition of the café?
Drink & food prep area
Dine-in area (if used)
Bathroom (if used)
Register area
Area
Rating
Poor
Excellent
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9:41
Next
Back
Were you given enough information about:
(select all that apply)
Estimated wait time
Peak times (longer wait)
Help from staff when needed
Confirmation that my needs (e.g., allergy) were taken care of
None of the above
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Boost Retention Rate in a B2C User Experience
I conducted user research and redesigned the survey to build a pipeline for feedback from customers.
Design System Expansion
Introducing Secondary Variant
I introduced a secondary yellow into the design system that aligns with the original color palette without significantly altering it, helping the deliverables feel more refined and cohesive. This secondary color is applied to outlines and cards.
Color
Existing
New
#66cc99
Primary
CTA
Highlights
Links
#E4E0AF
Secondary
Outlines
Cards
#107F92
Primary Variant
Existed, but never used
#F9F8EC
Neutral
Background
More Readable CTAs
In the original visual pattern, the font lacked readability and was not accessible for children. After discussing this with the program manager, I used the existing sans serif typeface for CTAs and titles to improve readability and accessibility.
Before
After
Lobster
Visual
Pattern
ABOUT SONOMA
ABOUT SONOMA
Jost
Lobster
ABOUT SONOMA
Custom Iconography
To support a range of infographics and children’s activities, I developed a set of custom icons representing the animal residents, referencing specific individuals and avoiding the use of stock imagery.
Deliverables
Combining the expanded design system, playful aestetics, I delivered infographics followed up with iconography
Info Sheet for Teachers Participating in the Program
Where
does
Monroe
live?
A mini guideline of facts about Charlie’s Acres for you!
animal residents
acres
=
football fields
Sanctuary
Who are we?
Why animal sanctuary?
/ˈsæŋk.tʃu.er.i/ noun.
a place of refuge and protection.
CALIFORNIA
NORTH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
SONOMA IS ALSO HOME TO
WE’RE AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY
ABOUT SONOMA
SONOMA IS A POPULAR PLACE OF
HABITATS
VINEYARDS
FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Dec- Feb
March- Nov
Summer
Winter
HOT
DRY
MILD
WET
Oak
Redwood Forests
Grasslands
Marshes
Grapes are grown here for wine
HOUR
MINUTES
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
It almost never snows here!
Many people know about cat and dog rescue, and we hope to show people why we think other kinds of animals deserve our kindness, too!
150
32
24
1
45
we’re here!
Sonoma
Mediterranean
Climate
Fun facts
We provide our animal residents happy lives with a lot of space, comfort, care, friendship, fun and love.
Monroe’s
Favorite activities
Fun Facts about
Monroe
Duck / Call
Foraging
Flying
Digging
Snuggling with her friends
Playing with toys
Species/ Breed
Delilah the duck, Ralph the rooster, and a number of other duck and chicken friends who share her space
Best friends
Lettuce
Abandoned at a park when she was a newborn duckling
Favorite Snack
Duck food, grass, bugs, worms
Diet
Date of birth
Background
Arrival at Charlie Acres
May 17, 2021
May 21, 2021
Swimming
Hey how’s it going?
Fun Fact Sheet for Children Who Adopted an Animal