ITHIL

Brand Strategy + DeFi UI/UX Design

ITHIL had a logo and a name. Through brand workshops I defined their positioning, personality, voice, and visual identity. Then I designed the full DeFi platform UI.

Year
2020 - 2021
Role
Brand Strategist + UI Designer
Industry
DeFi / Web3
Archetype
Sage + Magician
Brand StrategyPositioningVisual IdentityUI/UX DesignPrototyping
ITHIL Wizard
Brand Strategy

ITHIL had a logo and a product. No positioning, no voice. Through workshops I defined who ITHIL is.

Deliverables
-Brand positioning
-Personas
-Competitor analysis
-Personality + DNA
-Voice + tone
-Brand guide (40+ pages)
The Archetype

60% Sage. 40% Magician.

The Sage brings knowledge. The Magician brings wonder. Together: a wise guide who knows magic.

Not a cold institution. A knowledgeable friend. "Your guide in the DeFi universe."

Visual Direction

Mystical illustrations. Moonlit landscapes. Golden orbs of light.

Wizard with crystal
Wizard in architectural space
Moonlit landscape
Wizards collaborating
User Flow

Ema's first deposit

Ema is 26, new to crypto. She wants passive income but is afraid of losing money.

01
Landing page
She sees the value proposition and wizard theme. TVL and audit badges build trust.
02
Connect wallet
MetaMask popup. She hesitates. Security badge + non-custodial explanation.
Peak anxiety. 40% drop here.
03
Welcome tour
Experience level selector adjusts what she sees. Progressive disclosure starts.
04
Browse vaults
Vaults with APY, TVL, risk badges. Filters by Low Risk. Color-coded clarity.
05
Select vault
ETH vault. 12.4% APY, Low Risk. Plain language explanation.
06
Deposit
0.5 ETH. Expected returns, risk disclosure, withdraw anytime.
Second anxiety peak. Clear cost breakdown.
07
Success
Position visible in dashboard. Wizard Tip suggests checking back in a week.
Wireframes

Information hierarchy before visual design.

Dashboard
Logo
Wallet
TVL
Earned
APY
Pos.
Chart
Table
Vaults
Logo
Wallet
All
ETH
MATIC
Vault rows
WizardSwap
Logo
Wallet
Pay
|
Get
Swap
Chart
Info
UI/UX Design

Full platform: dashboard, vaults, strategies, WizardSwap, staking.

Challenge

Two users, one interface. Progressive disclosure.

Decisions
01
Warm cream, not cold gray
Warm tones from wizard imagery.
02
Golden CTAs
Brand gold on primary actions.
03
Risk badges
Green low, gold medium, coral high.
04
Wizard Tips
Contextual sidebar guidance.
Screens

Coded prototypes. Warm cream theme, navy sidebar, golden CTAs.

Dashboard
Dashboard
Vaults
Vaults
WizardSwap
WizardSwap
Staking
Staking
Landing Page
Landing Page
Design System

Navy + gold on dark. Cream + teal on light.

Cormorant: authority. Sora: clarity.

palette
--navy
Dark bg
--gold
Accent
--teal
Gradients
--cyan
Charts
--success
APY
--coral
Risk
Outcome

Brand identity + DeFi platform. Workshops to brand guide to prototypes.

Brand StrategyPositioning
Brand Guide40+ pages
PersonasAlex + Ema
User FlowsDeposit journey
Wireframes3 key screens
Prototypes5 HTML pages