Beacon is an app designed to help voters stay informed in a clear, digestible way through custom voting guides, a curated news feed, and accessible civic action tools. In a media environment crowded with sensationalism and noise, Beacon offers a quiet alternative. It creates a space built around clarity of information and empowerment through small, meaningful actions. The goal is to make civic engagement feel approachable and doable rather than overwhelming or exhausting.

The visual style leans intentionally toward the familiar and trustworthy world of classic journalism. I chose a limited color palette dominated by neutrals, with a single accent yellow used sparingly to highlight what matters. The typography system combines a condensed sans serif for headers, a classic serif for body copy, and a monospaced font for labels. This structure echoes the look and feel of a traditional newspaper and reinforces the values of sober reporting and responsible information design. The restrained palette and type driven layout help direct the user’s attention to the content, keeping the interface focused without unnecessary distraction.

The process behind Beacon was grounded in research. Through interviews, affinity mapping, and persona development, I learned how many potential users feel alienated or fatigued by the pace and volume of modern political media. There is too much noise and too little clarity. The design challenge became finding a way to build something that felt reliable, accessible, and rooted in real lived experience. These insights shaped an interface that privileges simplicity, readability, and functional structure over visual embellishment.

In the final design, bold condensed headings and an italic serif for body text work together to create a sense of credibility and weight. A clean, uncluttered dashboard gives users immediate access to what they need, including voting guides, relevant news, and practical steps they can take. The overall feel is functional, steady, and trustworthy. Beacon becomes more than a utility. It is a tool for reclaiming civic agency and a quiet companion inside a very loud political landscape.

For me, designing Beacon was an opportunity to practice restraint and purposeful communication. It brings together visual clarity, accessible information, and a sense of care for the user. With Beacon I wanted to imagine a civic tool that respects the user’s time, supports their engagement, and invites participation without pressure.