01 / Overview
Meet Atlas
Atlas is a centralized design system built to fix a specific operational problem: scattered brand guidance, duplicated effort, and broken agency handoffs. By moving reusable assets, channel playbooks, and governance into a single operating system, the platform gave internal teams and external partners a definitive source of truth to actually execute the work.
%
reduction in redundant design requests
Teams adopted Atlas
$
K
estimated annual savings
0
additional headcount
ROLE & SCOPE
Role and Scope
I led the strategy, structure, documentation, and system design for Atlas. The work began with an audit of recurring production needs and extended through information architecture, content strategy, asset taxonomy, documentation models, governance workflows, agency onboarding paths, and stakeholder alignment.
My Role
Strategy, IA, documentation, governance, asset systems
Audience
Internal teams, program owners, designers, agency partners
Outputs
Portal architecture, playbooks, templates, support paths, governance workflows
THE DIAGNOSIS
Identifying the Friction
I audited recurring templates, campaign assets, and support requests. The finding was clear: isolated teams were independently solving the exact same operational problems. Agencies received inconsistent handoffs, and campaign assets were recreated by market. This friction directly dictated the system requirements.
Problem
Solution
Repeated deck structures
→
Standardized presentation system
Agency handoff friction
→
Starter kit and onboarding path
Duplicated market assets
→
Modular campaign toolkit
Inconsistent event graphics
→
Event playbook and reusable templates
Manual data interpretation
→
Data visualization guidance
Repeated support questions
→
Self-service support and ticket routing
The Architecture Pillars
Atlas was designed around five functional areas to translate static rules into real channels and keep the system usable over time.
Global Foundations
Core rules for color, typography, layout, imagery, data, and accessibility.
Agency Onboarding
Starter kits, handoff paths, approval guidance, and version control.
Areas of Engagement
Channel-specific playbooks for presentations, campaigns, events, editorial, social, and digital.
Governance and Support
Requests, contributions, reviews, updates, and support routing.
Asset Library
Reusable templates, toolkits, design kits, and production-ready components.
THE ARCHITECTURE
Building the Ecosystem
Atlas organized brand guidance, approved assets, and support into one central portal. I structured the documentation around three levels of detail so leaders could make quick decisions, program owners could plan their work, and designers and agency partners could execute accurately.
Quick Reference
For leaders and non-designers. What to use, when to use it, simple do / don’t examples, and fast decision support.
Guided Playbook
For program owners and planners. Channel-specific guidance, use cases, content patterns, and approval expectations.
Tactical Specs
For designers and agencies. Production details, file links, templates, accessibility checks, and version notes.
One portal. Clear paths.
The navigation connected each task to its next step: understand the system, find guidance, download an approved starting point, or request support.
Getting started
What is Atlas · How to use it · Roles and audiences · Agency onboarding
Brand foundations
Brand strategy · Color · Typography · Grid · Photography · Iconography · Data · Accessibility
Channel playbooks
Executive communications · Campaigns · Events · Editorial · Social · Digital experiences
Asset libraries
Presentations · Video assets · Design kits · Campaigns · Business documents
Governance & support
Submit a request · Contribute an asset · Review process · Version history · Support paths
System Layers
Global Foundations
Shared rules for color, typography, grids, photography, iconography, motion, data visualization, logo usage, and accessibility. Guidance supported quick decisions and detailed production work.
Areas of Engagement
Channel playbooks connected brand principles to common formats, reusable templates, and approval expectations across executive presentations, campaigns, events, editorial, social, and digital experiences.
Asset Library
Approved materials were organized by channel and task: presentation templates, campaign graphics, event and environmental materials, video and motion assets, business documents, and design kits.
Portal Sample Pages
OPERATIONS
Keeping Atlas Useful
I designed the agency onboarding paths, governance workflows, and support model so Atlas could keep responding to production needs after launch. Teams had a clear way to start, get help, contribute useful work, and find current materials.
A repeatable partner handoff
Agency onboarding brought the same essential guidance into one reusable path, reducing repeated explanation before production began.
01
Understand the brand
Start with the foundations and the guidance relevant to the work.
02
Get the starter kit
Download the approved assets and templates.
03
Review the playbook
Check channel guidance, common formats, and production expectations.
04
Confirm approvals
Understand the review requirements before work begins.
05
Use current files
Confirm the latest versions before production.
A way back into the system
Teams could ask brand questions, request assets, route agency needs, flag outdated files, or submit a reusable pattern. Each contribution followed the same review process as a system update.
USE → REQUEST OR CONTRIBUTE → REVIEW → UPDATE → REUSE
A useful module could become a shared starting point. An outdated file or broken link could become a maintenance request. The feedback loop connected everyday production needs to the next system update.
Review, decide, publish
Requests and contributions moved through a defined process with owner review, documented decisions, and a clear close to the loop.
01 →
Triage
A request or contribution enters the queue. Confirm urgency, completeness, and the right review path.
02 →
Classify
Identify a new asset, duplicate request, update, brand question, or agency support need.
04 ✓
Publish & Notify
Publish approved changes in the right location. Record what changed and why, then notify affected users.
03 →
Review & Decide
An owner or steward reviews reuse, brand alignment, quality, accessibility, relevance, and maintenance cost. Add, merge, revise, redirect, or decline with rationale.
Make change traceable
Version history recorded what changed, why it changed, and how it affected users. That gave teams a way to identify current materials and helped prevent outdated files from circulating.
Shared foundations, different workflows
Atlas was adopted across 12 programs. Teams used the playbooks and assets most relevant to their work while operating from the same shared foundation.
Executive communications
Regional campaigns
Internal events
Editorial programs
Social content
Leadership presentations
Employee engagement
Recruiting communications
Training materials
Business reviews
Environmental graphics
Digital experiences
Application areas supported by Atlas
Results
Atlas shifted the organization from referencing a static brand PDF to working within a living operating system. It created a practical way to execute the brand consistently at scale.
The Old Standard
PDF guidelines, manual interpretation, one-off handoffs, inconsistent outputs, no feedback loop.
The Atlas Standard
Web portal, channel playbooks, asset library, governance, support, version history, and a contribution loop that feeds user needs back into the system.
$120K
Estimated annual savings based on a reduction in external support.