Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a nonprofit on a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. I partnered with the brand team to redesign Khan Academy’s visual identity and build an illustration system used across the entire organization. My focus was on crafting a distinctive, flexible visual language that enriched educational content and brought consistency to the brand. I also co-hosted WKHN News, Khan Academy’s beloved internal broadcast show.

Role: Senior Brand Designer
Team: Brand Team
Illustrators: Alyssa Foote, Juan Ocampo, Irene Wang
Design Director: Warren Schultheis

Brand Refresh

I collaborated closely with the brand team to reimagine and roll out Khan Academy’s refreshed visual language. This redesign had it all: custom in-house illustrations, playful user avatars, a refreshed iconogrfaphy system, a vibrant color system with deliciously named hues, and visuals that felt aligned to the brand’s voice and personality. We partnered across product, marketing, philanthropy, engineering, and editorial to bring it all to life.

Social Media Revamp

Khan Academy’s social media channels were visually inconsistent and no longer aligned with our evolving brand identity. I led the visual redesign to bring clarity, cohesion, and personality to our social presence. Working closely with the social media team, I provided creative direction and visual strategy to modernize the look and feel across platforms. The revamped system introduced clearer visual hierarchies, branded illustration styles, and more engaging templates—leading to a measurable boost in engagement and a more unified brand experience for learners. Huge thanks to Stephanie Yamkovenko for her incredible partnership.

Old Graphics (Before)

New Graphics (After)

Redesigning Course Unit Icons

Before the brand redesign, Khan Academy’s course unit icons lacked consistency. The site used a patchwork of photographs, collages, and illustrations in varying styles, resulting in a disjointed visual system that was hard to navigate and didn’t reflect the brand’s identity. I partnered with the education team to develop a unified icon system, redesigning each icon to be visually cohesive, brand-aligned, and easy for learners to recognize and understand.

Old Icons (Before)

New Icons (After)

New Learner Avatars

As part of the brand refresh, I collaborated with the product team to develop a new series of learner avatars that aligned with our updated visual identity. The previous avatars felt disconnected from the brand and lacked consistency. I partnered with Juan Ocampo, who led the illustration work, and Jeff Walls, who brought the characters to life with creative naming conventions. I provided visual direction and helped define the avatar style to ensure the final set was cohesive, on-brand, and delightful for learners.

Old Avatars (Before)

New Avatars (After)

Editorial Illustrations

I had the pleasure of illustrating and animating custom artwork for teams across the organization, supporting marketing campaigns, editorial content, and educational materials. Following our brand guidelines, I combined hand-drawn strokes, assets from our illustration library, graphic shapes, and bold color contrasts to bring stories and learning moments to life.