Cambridge Forums
Cambridge Forums is an invitation-only professional development organization connecting preeminent global leaders across 60+ countries. With a membership that is 99% partner or C-suite level and a 95% satisfaction rate, the bar for every experience the organization delivers is exceptionally high.
For four years I was the sole brand designer inside Cambridge Forums. I led the charge on the private member platform redesign — from selecting the agency through to directing the design process — and followed that with a full organizational rebrand that I led from start to finish.
Role
Lead Designer
Scope
Brand Strategy/Identity
Agency Direction
UX Feedback
Journey Mapping
Stakeholder Management
Design Systems
Duration
4 Years
The Challenge
Cambridge Forums had outgrown how it managed member relationships. Events were coordinated manually, member connections existed only in person, and there was no digital space for the substantive peer conversations that define the forum experience.
The platform needed to feel as considered and exclusive as the forums themselves. As the person who understood the audience most deeply inside the organization, it was my job to make sure the agency building it never lost sight of that.
Constraints
The platform itself was being built by an external agency — my influence came entirely through the quality, clarity, and authority of the direction I provided. Designing for a C-suite audience meant that standard UX conventions developed for consumer products often had to be reconsidered. Every piece of feedback I gave the agency carried the weight of the organization's position.
Member Journey
Following the website launch, the second phase of work focused on deepening the member experience. I mapped the complete member journey across six stages: Discover, Register, Prepare, Participate, Connect, and Continue.
For each stage I documented user goals, actions, touchpoints, pain points, and the emotional arc of the experience alongside specific UX opportunities. The key insight that shaped everything: the platform needed to transform each forum from a 3-day event into an ongoing professional community where meaningful relationships could grow.
I was part of the process to select the agency that would build the platform, bringing a designer's perspective to evaluating who could best execute at the standard Cambridge Forums required.
Once the agency was appointed I led the design direction throughout the build. This meant regular meetings to review design iterations, provide specific and actionable feedback, and hold the line on decisions that needed to reflect how this particular audience thinks and behaves. I knew the members. I knew what the forums felt like in person. My job was to make sure that translated into the digital experience.
Key Direction
Notification restraint: Pushed back on real-time notifications for all activity. C-suite users disengage from notification systems the moment volume outpaces relevance went with a interest-based filtering tied to each member's selected topics.
Interest selection at onboarding: Mandatory interest selection as step two of onboarding. Without it the personalization system had nothing to work with and the platform felt generic on first use.
Discussion interface tone: Interactions were limited to direct replies and tagging only.
Profile hierarchy: Role and organization above bio. For a time-poor executive scanning the directory, professional context is more immediately useful than a bio.
The Organizational Rebrand
What followed the platform build was a full organizational rebrand that I led as the sole designer. The platform had set a new visual standard for Cambridge Forums and everything the organization produced needed to reflect it.
Over the course of my tenure I led 80+ logo explorations, developed comprehensive brand guidelines, and produced a full suite of marketing materials covering events, communications, and member-facing collateral. Every piece of it traced back to the same audience understanding that had guided the platform direction.
Results
Platform launched successfully serving C-suite and partner-level leaders across 60+ countries. Full organizational rebrand completed and applied across all touchpoints. The platform laid the groundwork for a standalone mobile app planned for development after my tenure.
Reflection
The most valuable thing about being the only designer inside an organization for four years is that you develop a level of audience understanding no agency brief can replicate. I knew Cambridge Forums members — how they think, what they expect, what would make them disengage immediately. That knowledge was the most important thing I brought to the agency process. Good design direction requires knowing the user as well as you know the craft.