Microsoft Azure
Branding | Marketing Design | Illustration | Art Direction | Presentation Design
The Azure segment of Microsoft is comprised of several large teams. I was the Senior Designer within a communications group under the Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure (AHSI) team, which is made up of over 4,000 employees. The AHSI organization is responsible for designing custom silicon, creating cloud data center hardware, and delivering AI to the world at scale. My role was to define the visual system strategy for AHSI communications and execute all marketing design deliverables according to that system. My goal was to ensure alignment to our overarching Microsoft brand and increase accessibility and investment in AHSI business initiatives through consistent and compelling visual design.
Visual System Guidelines
The AHSI visual system posed a particular challenge as it needed to exist within the context of the larger Microsoft brand but also capture the unique voice of the team’s business interests. I accomplished this by defining a framework for an AHSI-specific look and feel within the overarching Microsoft brand rules. Through touch points like color palette, icon system, and visual marketing strategies, I was able to create a strategic and flexible visual system that ensured accessibility and consistency across all AHSI communications.
AHSI Team Icon System
Microsoft employs a “One Microsoft” approach to its brand communications; that is, no logo is allowed to be used besides the Microsoft logo. It is common, however, that internal teams seek to mark their creative territory to promote employee pride and participation. In this vein I created an icon illustration system for the teams housed under the AHSI organization umbrella. I collaborated with stakeholders and project managers from AHSI’s subteams to design unique icons that embodied their work and missions.
Team Icon System
Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure Icon:
Abstract representation of the data center “stack”, as well as the structural building of cloud hardware.
Cloud Supply Chain Icon:
Abstract representation of the cyclical nature of supply chain as well as sustainability.
Silicon, Cloud Hardware, & Infrastructure Engineering Icon: Abstract representation of silicon chips built for cloud optimal systems.
Strategy, Planning, & Architecture Icon:
Abstract representation of a hardware and architectural road map.
Spot Illustration Library
To supplement AHSI business communications such as presentations, business initiative emails, and webpages, I created a holistic icon (often referred to as spot illustration) library. This expansive set of illustrations capture AHSI and cloud hardware industry-specific concepts and were invaluable in communicating business priorities to stakeholders and employees.
All-Hands Events:
Presentations & Marketing Collateral Design
The largest communications event for the AHSI team was the all staff All-Hands Summit. These events required multiple email designs, Teams banner ads, SharePoint webpage design, as well as event deliverables.
As Senior Designer, I worked closely with comms project managers to design new key art and execute this “look and feel” across all marketing channels. This promoted engagement in our employee audience which spanned the globe and kept the communication of AHSI’s ever-changing business priorities fresh and interesting.
Shown here:
Portions of several All-Hands presentations, including the key art on the title slide as well as how these design systems were adapted throughout the event slides.
Marketing Email Design
A standard part of many of AHSI’s employee initiatives included email design. It was my responsibility as Senior Designer to create recognizable key art for each of these initiatives and apply these designs across all applicable marketing channels. I worked closely with content writers to design custom email layouts in the email design program Staffbase (formerly Bananatag) for all AHSI communications.
Shown here:
Examples of email header banners for a variety of AHSI initiatives and campaigns. These examples follow a fixed template (shown below) that I created to ensure layout consistency across all program communications for AHSI.
Email Header Template Guide
SharePoint Webpage Design
A frequent marketing channel for AHSI initiatives was a custom SharePoint webpage. I established a clean, consistent layout template guideline that all pages within the AHSI SharePoint adhered to (shown below), in order to ensure accessibility, readability, and consistency in AHSI’s communications. On these SharePoint pages, I adapted the program or initiative’s key art in the header banner as well as maintained the look and feel throughout the page. I was also responsible for maintaining an organized and secure backend for AHSI’s SharePoint site.
Shown here:
Examples of SharePoint webpages for an AHSI Rewards initiatives, an AHSI Learning initiative, and an AHSI Giving initiative.
SharePoint Layout Design Guide