Visual design is often thought of as a nice-to-have or the icing on a cake, but it is essential in shaping how users interact and feel about your product or service. The first half of the presentation will demonstrate how visual design influences how you interact with spaces, content, services, and digital products. The second half is more practical and summarizes tools and methodology for defining a brand including brand principles, style guides, moodboards, style tiles, and usability testing. I’ll show examples of government agencies that have gone through rebranding efforts with 18F using the U.S. Web Design System in a variety of frameworks, including Drupal, along with examples of success metrics in qualitative and quantitative research. Who it's for: This session is for generalists who consider themselves non-designers and will show how visual design impacts everyday life, internalized biases, and products. Goal: The goal is to demonstrate the importance of developing tone and consistency for your digital presence and encourage folks in the government to think about how their agency’s mission is visually communicated and represented to the world. I want the audience to walk away with: Ways to solicit unbiased design feedback and test perceptions of visual design An understanding that visual design is a crucial part of content, development, and product strategy. Confidence that good design doesn’t have to be costly, using user centered design and creative theming, agencies can set a tone that visually represents unique agency missions while maintaining an accessible and scalable framework. Tools and methods for defining a brand identity.