Portfolio > Designverse

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Overview

The Design Annual serves as a comprehensive repository of Cognizant's design achievements each year. This report offers a deep dive into the expansive world of design within our organization, inspiring the name: Designverse.This theme will serve as the recurring centerpiece for the Design Annual Report every year.

Key Questions We Asked:

How might we inspire designers to engage with innovation consistently?

How can we track and reward non-deliverable creative contributions like experimentation, exploration, and tool play?

Project Goals

Build a central innovation engagement system for all designers
Track activities like AI experiments, prototypes, tool usage, workshops
Gamify participation using points, levels, leaderboards, and team challenges
Create team-wide visibility to inspire friendly competition and peer learning

Project Duration

2023 (6-month initiative)

The Challenge

Design teams were expected to actively explore Generative AI, design thinking, and creative tools — but:

• There was low engagement in experimentation.

• Innovation felt disconnected from day-to-day design delivery.

• Internal design leaders lacked visibility into real, trackable contributions from team members.

My Role:

Design Strategy Lead (Cognizant)

My Leadership Actions

Strategy

• Developed the Designverse Framework: A 4-tier model mapping creative activity to strategic impact

• Connected individual experiments to broader innovation goals (e.g., AI, Design Ops, Sustainability)

System Thinking

• Structured user journeys across 3 personas:

• Designer

• Design Lead

• Innovation Catalyst

• Built a scalable points and rewards logic, aligned with real metrics like Figma plugin creation, AI exploration, UX writing, etc.

UX + Visual Design Direction

• Defined visual identity and UI for web app and dashboard

• Worked with a cross-functional dev team on prototyping

• Ensured accessibility, clarity, and delight through microinteractions

Community Activation

• Rolled out weekly challenges (e.g., AI Poster Contest, Midjourney prompts)

• Facilitated show-and-share sessions with global teams

• Designed celebration mechanics like Designverse Awards & Monthly Top Explorers

Discover

How it all started...

The journey began with our team coming together for the first time in a virtual setting. Since we had never met before, we started by introducing ourselves, sharing our backgrounds, and showcasing our artworks and unique skills. This initial exchange not only helped break the ice but also allowed us to appreciate the diverse talents and perspectives each member brought to the table.

Despite the challenges of working remotely, this discussion laid a strong foundation for collaboration and fostered a sense of camaraderie. It was the perfect starting point to channel our collective creativity and set the stage for the innovative journey ahead.

Handmade/Handcrafted

We began by sharing our initial ideas, each team member contributing unique perspectives and creative insights. Through these discussions, a common thread emerged—the idea of celebrating the human touch behind every creation. This collaborative exchange of thoughts and inspirations ultimately led us to our central concept: Handmade/Handcrafted.

The concept embodied the essence of our work, emphasizing the artistry, passion, and individuality that go into every design. It was a reflection of our belief that while technology can assist, it is the human touch that truly brings designs to life.

Why Metaverse?

The Metaverse is rapidly transforming various industries, including healthcare, finance, education, and business, by revolutionizing how people interact and experience services. Its impact on entertainment is equally profound, offering new and immersive ways to engage with live events like concerts and sports. The Metaverse enables audiences to experience events in real time from different perspectives, enhancing the overall experience.

Even local events, such as a concert in Tamil Nadu, are poised to be virtually accessible, showcasing the limitless potential of this technology to bring experiences closer to everyone, no matter where they are.

Metaverse concert

Ideation

Metaverse Theme

Although we initially had limited knowledge about the Metaverse, we undertook a deep dive to understand its concepts and possibilities fully. As we explored its potential, we discovered a strong connection between the immersive nature of the Metaverse and our handcrafted concept. This synergy inspired us to embrace the Metaverse as our theme, seamlessly blending innovation with the human touch at the heart of our work.

We explored movies inspired by the concept of the Metaverse to gain creative insights and delved into gaming platforms built around Metaverse technologies for a firsthand experience of immersive virtual environments. Our research extended further into understanding the technical and conceptual frameworks of the Metaverse, including in-depth reading on the Web 3D Consortium and the Metaverse Standards Forum.

Metaverse + Handcrafted

We seamlessly merged our Handcrafted concept with the Metaverse theme, blending the human touch with cutting-edge technology. This fusion of ideas became the foundation for our design, bringing together the warmth of handcrafted artistry with the innovation of the Metaverse.

What is Designverse

Designverse, a combination of "Design" and "Universe," serves as the theme for Cognizant’s annual design report. It is a comprehensive repository showcasing our design accomplishments each year, offering a glimpse into the vast and dynamic world of design at Cognizant.

The name "Designverse" reflects the expansive nature of our creativity and innovation, capturing the essence of our collective efforts. This theme will be the cornerstone of our Design Annual Report for years to come.

Logo Concept: Designverse

The Designverse logo is a fusion of multiple inspirations: It draws from Cognizant’s new branding tagline, "Intuition Engineered." The design incorporates elements inspired by a VR headset, the infinity symbol, DNA structure, and Cognizant’s logo. Additionally, the letters D and V from Designverse are seamlessly integrated into the logo design.

Design

Print Design , Annual Report : Book Design

We aimed to bring the metaverse concept to life across various media formats. To achieve this, we ensured that every design element—from fonts and icons to graphics and images—reflected the essence of the metaverse. Even photographs of real people were transformed into avatars, seamlessly blending into the metaverse-inspired theme.

Website Design

To align with the concept and provide an interactive online experience, we developed a dedicated website for Designverse. The site features case studies and team details, offering a dynamic and engaging way to explore our work.

Reflection

The Designverse project has been an incredible journey of creativity, collaboration, and innovation. It was a unique opportunity to reimagine how we present our design accomplishments and celebrate the essence of human creativity in the digital age. From winning the global competition to leading a multidisciplinary team, every step of this project was a testament to the power of teamwork and dedication.

The challenges of integrating a metaverse-inspired concept across diverse media formats pushed us to think beyond conventional boundaries. Ensuring consistency in fonts, icons, graphics, and even transforming real-life images into avatars was a rewarding challenge that highlighted the meticulousness and craftsmanship of our team.

The project also emphasized the importance of storytelling in design. By creating a dedicated website for the online interactive version, we brought our vision to life in a way that resonated with our audience and added depth to our narrative.

The recognition from top management and the client was a proud moment for the entire team. Furthermore, our efforts were rewarded with a special award for the successful implementation of the Designverse project, making it an unforgettable achievement for all of us.

This project was not just about creating a report; it was about setting a benchmark for how design can inspire, engage, and connect on a human level. It serves as a reminder of the boundless possibilities when art and technology come together.