Deloitte
Overview
While working with Deloitte’s Human Capital team, I contributed to an internal well-being initiative to foster emotional awareness and support across the organization. I helped design clear, emotionally resonant visuals used in mental health presentations that reached hundreds of employees.
Objective
To support Deloitte’s internal wellness efforts through intentional, inclusive design, creating visuals that help employees better recognize, understand, and communicate their emotional states.
Getting Started
I collaborated directly with the HR team to understand their goals: create a visual tool that would engage employees and educate them on the wide range of human emotions. We began by gathering research on emotional literacy and reviewing models like Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions and color theory in emotional design.
My Contributions
72-Emotion Color Wheel
Designed a comprehensive emotion wheel categorizing 72 emotions with associated color tones, helping employees reflect on and identify their current emotional state.Emotional Spectrum Design
Created a smooth, color-coded gradient to represent emotional shifts and intensity—used in presentations and handouts.Presentation Support Graphics
Developed calming, inclusive design elements for well-being slide decks, ensuring accessibility and visual harmony for diverse audiences.
Research
To design visuals that promoted emotional awareness, I explored research on color-emotion connections and emotional literacy. Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions served as a foundation, while a study by Jonauskaite et al. (2020) confirmed consistent color-emotion links across cultures (e.g., blue = calm, red = anger). I also referenced the American Psychological Association on workplace mental health and insights from the Nielsen Norman Group on emotionally intelligent design. These sources helped guide thoughtful and evidence-based visual decisions for the project.
Problem Statement
Employees often struggle to name, understand, or communicate their emotional states in a professional environment. Without the right tools, emotional conversations can feel vague or overwhelming. Deloitte aimed to solve this by using design to foster emotional literacy and support more meaningful well-being discussions.
Outcome
The graphics were integrated into mental health and emotional literacy sessions attended by hundreds of Deloitte employees. Feedback from the HR team and participants highlighted how the color visuals made emotional discussions more approachable and visually engaging.
Reflection
This project reinforced how design can serve as a powerful tool for empathy and clarity. It sharpened my ability to translate complex emotional concepts into intuitive visuals and deepened my interest in emotionally intelligent design systems.
