Magna Housing
2025
UI Design
Magna Housing is a community-focused housing association based in Dorset and Somerset, dedicated to providing housing services to local people. Magna understands that joining forces with great organisations is key to shaping places for everyone. With Tangent, they embarked on a strategic initiative to create a community brand and platform. This platform aims to break down knowledge silos across housing associations, local and national governments, public services, construction specialists, and beyond. The project involved developing a brand name, positioning, visual identity and platform recommendation, all within a tight six-week timeframe.
As a Digital Designer, I contributed to both the brand and digital experience, translating strategic insights into a cohesive visual identity and user experience.
My responsibilities included:
Participating in collaborative strategy workshops
Exploring brand territories and visual concepts
Designing the visual identity and supporting assets
Creating UI concepts for the landing page
Developing responsive layouts
Refining typography, colour and illustration systems
Producing presentation materials and design guidelines
Collaborating closely with strategists, designers and stakeholders throughout the project
Process
& Approach
Understanding the opportunity
The project began with a series of collaborative workshops to understand Magna's long-term vision and the wider challenges facing housing organisations.
Rather than designing another corporate website, the goal was to create a shared platform that encouraged collaboration between multiple organisations while fostering a stronger sense of community and innovation. These workshops helped define user needs, platform objectives and the core brand personality that would guide every design decision.
Exploring strategic directions
Using the workshop insights, we explored multiple creative territories that represented different ways the platform could be positioned.
Each concept tested a distinct tone of voice, visual language and interaction style, allowing stakeholders to evaluate how the platform could communicate its ambition while remaining approachable and community-focused.
This iterative process helped align business goals with a clear creative direction before moving into visual design.
Designing the experience
With the strategic direction established, the focus shifted to translating the brand into a digital experience.
I explored layouts, content hierarchy and interaction patterns that would clearly communicate the platform's purpose while making it easy for new users to understand its value.
The landing page was designed as both a brand introduction and an entry point into the future platform ecosystem.
Designing for clarity
The platform introduced a completely new concept for many users, making clear communication essential.
Content was structured progressively, allowing visitors to quickly understand the platform's purpose before exploring its wider benefits and opportunities for collaboration.
Creating a community-first experience
Every design decision reinforced the idea of collaboration rather than corporate communication.
The visual language focused on openness, accessibility and shared participation, helping users feel part of a larger network working towards common goals.
Balancing credibility with optimism
Housing associations operate within a highly trusted public sector environment, but the new platform also needed to inspire innovation.
The final direction balanced professionalism with a more progressive visual identity, positioning the platform as a catalyst for positive change across the sector.
Building a scalable foundation
The identity and interface were designed as flexible systems rather than fixed marketing assets.
Reusable components, visual patterns and responsive layouts ensured the brand could evolve alongside future platform features and community growth.
The visual design translated the strategic direction into a modern digital experience that felt confident, approachable and community-driven.
A modular layout system, bold typography and a flexible colour palette created a clear visual hierarchy while supporting a wide range of future content.
Every element was designed to reinforce the platform's mission of bringing organisations together, creating a consistent experience across brand, interface and communication materials.
Outcomes
& Impact
Within an accelerated six-week timeline, the project delivered a complete strategic and visual foundation for Magna's new community platform.
Brand
Defined a new platform positioning
Created a distinctive name and visual identity
Established comprehensive brand guidelines
Digital Experience
Designed a responsive landing page introducing the platform
Created a scalable visual system for future product development
Delivered a clear and engaging user experience for new audiences
Strategic Impact
The project provided Magna Housing with a unified brand and digital direction capable of supporting future collaboration across housing associations, public services and industry partners, while creating a strong foundation for the platform's continued evolution.
