MENU
Pepsi : Dig in
Project Overview
Pepsi Dig In is a national platform launched by PepsiCo to celebrate and support Black-owned restaurants across America. I was part of a team tasked with creating a visually rich, accessible, and community-driven website to amplify these businesses and encourage more diners to discover and support them.
My Role
As a UI Designer, I collaborated closely with the design team to bring the new initiative to life. My responsibilities included:
-
Developing design concepts and page layouts aligned with the project’s business goals
-
Creating a responsive design system optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop
-
Defining the color palette and visual direction to fit the brand's new identity
-
Building flexible, scalable components to support future content growth
-
Iterating quickly based on client feedback and cross-functional collaboration
.jpg)
Challenge
How could we create a platform that feels authentic, inspiring, and easy to navigate — while representing a wide range of restaurants and communities?
Balancing strong brand visuals with genuine, local storytelling was critical.
We also faced a tight timeline with multiple stakeholders (PepsiCo marketing, partner agencies, development teams), requiring fast iteration and clear communication.
Design Approach
To solve these challenges, I focused on:
-
Visual Energy: Incorporating vibrant color blocks, dynamic photography, and bold type to mirror the energy of the Black culinary community.
-
Simple Exploration: Designing intuitive filtering, search, and discovery paths so users could easily find restaurants by city, cuisine, or vibe.
-
Mobile Optimization: Given the target audience, ensuring a mobile-first experience was critical — I designed with smaller screens as the primary canvas.
-
Accessible Design: Followed WCAG guidelines to ensure readability, high contrast, and keyboard navigation.
Key Features
-
Dynamic homepage with featured restaurants and campaigns
-
Interactive map and filters for easy discovery
-
Restaurant detail pages with rich photography and storytelling
-
Seamless transitions and animations that kept the experience lively but lightweight
Outcome & Impact
-
The Pepsi Dig In platform successfully launched as a vibrant celebration of Black-owned restaurants nationwide.
-
Through thoughtful design and authentic storytelling, the platform elevated the visibility of hundreds of local businesses.
It helped drive significant community engagement, sparked national media coverage, and reinforced PepsiCo’s commitment to supporting Black entrepreneurship. -
Internally, the project was praised for its clean UX, bold visual identity, and seamless mobile experience — setting a new standard for future PepsiCo initiatives.
Reflection
-
This project taught me how powerful design can be when it’s rooted in real community impact, not just aesthetics.
Balancing bold branding with authentic storytelling sharpened my ability to think strategically and design empathetically. -
Working closely with a cross-functional team in a fast-paced environment also strengthened my collaboration, iteration, and leadership skills — lessons I continue to bring into every project.