Halocoin
Halocoin
Overview
For our annual hackathon, employees are challenged to form cross-functional teams and collaborate with colleagues they haven't worked with before. I joined a team of 10 (primarily engineers) and partnered with a fellow UX Designer to lead the design side of our project. Over the course of just three days, we developed Halocoin — an internal cryptocurrency designed to unify employee recognition across the company. Carvanians could send each other Halocoins as a way to easily and meaningfully say thank you for a job well done.
Client:
Carvana
Year:
2022
Role:
Visual/UI Designer
Project Type:
BRANDING
ILLUSTRATION
Overview
For our annual hackathon, employees are challenged to form cross-functional teams and collaborate with colleagues they haven't worked with before. I joined a team of 10 (primarily engineers) and partnered with a fellow UX Designer to lead the design side of our project. Over the course of just three days, we developed Halocoin — an internal cryptocurrency designed to unify employee recognition across the company. Carvanians could send each other Halocoins as a way to easily and meaningfully say thank you for a job well done.
Client:
Carvana
Year:
2022
Role:
Visual/UI Designer
Type:
BRANDING
ILLUSTRATION
Process
During COVID, our team wanted to tap into the excitement around crypto by creating a project centered on the trend. Rather than launching a public cryptocurrency — which would be difficult to control — we decided to build an internal crypto system for employee recognition. At the time, each team had its own method for rewarding employees, and this project offered a way to unify the process across the company. Given the tight three-day timeline, we split into two sub-teams: the engineers focused on building the backend and blockchain functionality, while the design team led the branding, UI, and overall product experience. I worked closely with a UX designer and project manager on the designs.
During COVID, our team wanted to tap into the excitement around crypto by creating a project centered on the trend. Rather than launching a public cryptocurrency — which would be difficult to control — we decided to build an internal crypto system for employee recognition. At the time, each team had its own method for rewarding employees, and this project offered a way to unify the process across the company. Given the tight three-day timeline, we split into two sub-teams: the engineers focused on building the backend and blockchain functionality, while the design team led the branding, UI, and overall product experience. I worked closely with a UX designer and project manager on the designs.
Concept
The key visuals centered around the coin itself, which we named Halocoin to maintain a strong connection to the Carvana brand. I created a character design for the coin to make the story more engaging during our presentation and to ensure the brand would be both memorable and flexible — including an abbreviated version for UI applications. Our second major visual was a whale character, humorously modeled after our CEO, Ernie Garcia. In crypto terminology, a "whale" refers to someone who holds a large amount of currency, making the reference both fitting and a fun inside nod that resonated with the team.
The key visuals centered around the coin itself, which we named Halocoin to maintain a strong connection to the Carvana brand. I created a character design for the coin to make the story more engaging during our presentation and to ensure the brand would be both memorable and flexible — including an abbreviated version for UI applications. Our second major visual was a whale character, humorously modeled after our CEO, Ernie Garcia. In crypto terminology, a "whale" refers to someone who holds a large amount of currency, making the reference both fitting and a fun inside nod that resonated with the team.
UI Designs
I collaborated with the UX Designer to develop the wireframes before taking the lead on the visual design. Our deliverables included a landing page to spark interest, the core interface of the program, and additional marketing materials like email templates to support the campaign.
I collaborated with the UX Designer to develop the wireframes before taking the lead on the visual design. Our deliverables included a landing page to spark interest, the core interface of the program, and additional marketing materials like email templates to support the campaign.
Outcome
After multiple rounds of voting, we presented our project to the C-suite and ultimately secured one of the top four prizes out of more than 50 teams. We were awarded in the Culture category! Our whale character, modeled after Ernie, was a hit — not only with him but also with the entire Carvana team. It quickly became a popular Slack emoji, and there was even a petition to turn it into an actual plushie.
After multiple rounds of voting, we presented our project to the C-suite and ultimately secured one of the top four prizes out of more than 50 teams. We were awarded in the Culture category! Our whale character, modeled after Ernie, was a hit — not only with him but also with the entire Carvana team. It quickly became a popular Slack emoji, and there was even a petition to turn it into an actual plushie.