Case Study:
DecolaEdu - Visual Identity
Project Overview
DecolaEdu is a Brazilian digital platform that helps students access scholarships and discounts for undergraduate programs at private universities.
The brand’s name comes from the verb “decolar” (to take off), symbolizing the beginning of an educational journey and new opportunities.
My role: Graphic Designer Freelancer
I was responsible for developing DecolaEdu’s visual identity and digital communication system, ensuring the brand felt simple, modern and young.
The Challenges
The education platform market in Brazil is highly competitive and visually saturated. Many brands rely on generic academic imagery and complex messaging, which creates distance rather than clarity.
The challenge was to create a brand identity that:
Felt approachable and youth-oriented, without losing credibility
Clearly communicated opportunity and progress, not bureaucracy
These factors led to a central design challenge:
How could we visually communicate access to education and
opportunity in a simple, young and memorable way?
Insight & Strategy
The key insight was that DecolaEdu’s value did not need heavy explanations. What students were looking for was easily enroll and just a few steps to get started.
Instead of literal educational symbols, the strategy focused on visual metaphors:
Education as movement
Opportunity as takeoff
Access as something simple and immediate
This led to a brand system centered on action and clarity.
Color opportunity
In the Brazilian education market, most established brands use a blue color palette, with only a few exceptions.
To stand out in this competitive scenario, DecolaEdu chose to build its visual identity around purple and pink.
This decision helped the brand break away from the dominant color patterns in the category, creating a more distinctive and modern presence in the market.
Creative Solution
Color Palette
The color palette was designed to feel energetic and inviting.
Purple conveys creativity, innovation, and aspiration
Pink adds warmth, friendliness, and emotional proximity
Together, they create a youthful yet confident visual language that differentiates DecolaEdu from its competitors.
Brand Symbol & Logotype
The logo was built around a stylized letter “D”, combined with a click icon.
The click icon also resembles a paper airplane, reinforcing the idea of something light in movement and taking off.
Together, these elements represent the concept of starting an educational journey with a single action, making education more accessible through a simple click.
Typography
A modern, friendly sans-serif typeface was chosen to balance:
Digital clarity
Accessibility
A contemporary, student-oriented tone
The typography supports clear hierarchy and readability across banners, social posts, and motion graphics.
With this in mind, Signika was selected, a sans-serif font with a gentle character.
The approved logotype
The final result is a logotype that feels young, stands out of the traditional and communicates movement and opportunity.
Visual Expansion
After defining the visual identity, the next step was applying it consistently across across all brand materials.
The objective was to keep the brand recognizable while adapting it to different formats and contexts.
Website Banners
The banners were designed to communicate quickly and directly, using the click element from the logo to guide the user’s eye toward the discount information.
The overall communication was planned to be clean and direct, highlighting the vibrant brand colors to attract attention.
Photographic Direction
At the time, DecolaEdu relied heavily on stock images of young students, which often resulted in posed and exaggerated visuals.
To improve consistency, clear photographic guidelines were defined:
Young models (up to 23 years old), representing diverse ethnic groups
Vibrant clothing that could be adjusted to purple or pink tones
Expressive but energetic facial expressions aligned with the brand tone
These guidelines helped maintain visual coherence while working within the limitations of stock photography.
Offline Media
Flyers and shopping mall totems were developed to promote the brand locally.
The focus was on high visibility and fast message comprehension.
Print color tests were conducted to ensure accurate reproduction of the brand’s vibrant tones.
Social Media
The goal of DecolaEdu’s social media was to communicate discounts and promote available courses.
Corporate Video & Motion Graphics
I edited and animated the corporate video using the same visual language established in the brand identity.
Motion was used intentionally to reinforce:
The idea of taking off
Forward movement
Simplicity and flow
Brand elements, typography, and transitions were designed to support the “takeoff” metaphor, ensuring alignment between static and moving assets.
Results
The project strengthened brand consistency across digital and offline materials.
A clear visual system improved recognition, clarity, and positioning, helping DecolaEdu stand out in a competitive market.
Key Learnings
A key learning was the importance of always defining Pantone colors for print.
DecolaEdu’s vibrant colors are difficult to reproduce accurately in print. Establishing Pantone standards helps avoid inconsistencies and ensures better color control in physical materials.