Technology Radar: Through the lens of design

I was invited to join the Radar team as lead designer in 2017. I remember the excitement of being part of something with the level of reach the Technology Radar has. Ever since then, I’ve fallen in love with this project. 

Radar will always remain close to me

Working in a diverse and multidisciplinary team is one of the reasons the Radar is so special. There is so much that happens behind the scenes that extends beyond the world of technology: digital, content, thought leadership, social media, automation, paid media, marketing strategy, design, multimedia, communications, public relations. There have been some brilliant, brilliant people in the team over the years; I've learned something from every one of them — it is truly a collaborative environment where everyone works together seamlessly. 

From Radar to Radar

Through each volume of the Radar I have grown as a designer. From presenting cover options to Thoughtworks CTO Rebecca Parsons and key members of the team to creating a fully accessible report that can be translated into multiple languages, I have continually pushed myself to learn and improve. Although the design of the Radar has evolved over the years, my goal has always been to create a visual identity that is instantly recognizable.

I feel everything really came together to establish an identity that makes the Radar visually distinctive when we launched a Thoughtworks rebrand in 2021. This brought illustrations into our visual identity, which gave me a way of creating a recurring and consistent motif which could be returned to and reworked for each volume, thus bringing a memorable visual experience to the Radar.

Behind the scenes

I’ll briefly explain how it’s done. Each volume's main illustration is built from a set of shapes inspired by the Radar itself. These shapes — quadrants, rings and blips — have been central to the Radar since its initial inception, so I see them as a way to pay homage to its history.

This constraint is a fun creative challenge. With each new edition, I have to find ways of playing with these shapes to communicate something new. Overlapping shapes, for example, can create a sense of three-dimensionality, while positioning shapes differently can suggest movement and dynamism. Subtle shifts and changes mean each cover tells a slightly different story.

The Technology Radar occupies a special place in both my career and heart. I’m grateful to the amazing people on the team for their consistent trust and support, and I hope to continue to design the Radar for years to come and I’m excited about the stories I can tell with my designs in the future.