Time Frame
Feb-March 2026
Role
UI/UX Designer
Platform
Website
Introduction
UWU Foundation is the non-profit arm of ForU, a Web3 social reputation platform. The foundation's mission is to bridge the gap between blockchain technology and real-world social impact — empowering communities through education, grants, and decentralised governance. As the in-house designer at ForU, I was tasked with building the foundation's digital identity from scratch.
Background Story
ForU was growing rapidly, and leadership wanted the foundation to have a credible standalone presence — one that could stand alongside established Web3 non-profits like the Ethereum Foundation and Gitcoin. The challenge was building something that felt trustworthy and mission-driven, while staying visually consistent with the ForU ecosystem's dark, glassmorphic aesthetic.
Team
Initially worked independently as the sole designer. Direction was aligned with the ForU product team, with content inputs from the marketing and leads.
Defining the Problem
How might we create a digital presence for UWU Foundation that feels credible and mission-driven — one that communicates the values of a Web3 non-profit to both crypto-native and non-technical audiences?
Process
Define → Research → Visual Design → Iteration
Mapped out the foundation's core pillars (education, grants, governance), researched comparable Web3 non-profit websites for structure and tone, then built out the visual design in Figma — establishing a component library, colour palette, and page layout that could scale across multiple foundation sub-pages.
Research and Ideation
Referenced established Web3 non-profits and open-source foundations — including the Ethereum Foundation, Gitcoin, ENS Foundation, and Protocol Labs — to understand how credibility is built through visual design, content hierarchy, and transparency signals. Key insights informed the decision to lead with mission statements, feature a grants section prominently, and adopt a structured, documentation-friendly layout that appeals to developers and community members alike.
Result
Challenge and Most Interesting
The main challenge was bridging two very different audiences — crypto-native users who expect technical depth and decentralisation ethos, and non-technical community members who need warmth and accessibility. Balancing a dark, Web3 visual language with approachable copy and clear CTAs was the most interesting design tension to navigate throughout the project.
Key Takeaways
Web3 non-profits need to earn trust through transparency — design choices like open governance sections and grant visibility matter as much as aesthetics. A dark, glassmorphic visual language can coexist with mission-driven warmth when typography and spacing are handled intentionally. Designing within an existing product ecosystem requires constant calibration between sub-brand identity and parent brand consistency. Even without user testing, competitive analysis of established foundations can surface strong structural patterns worth borrowing.