WorkLab: A Platform for Thought Leaders in AI and the Future of Work
Challenge
Microsoft wanted to become an authority in the future of work and AI-related insights.
Solution
We created WorkLab, a robust editorial platform allowing unique experiences driven by story. As Creative Director, I led the UI/UX of the interactive story templates, the visual creative direction which came to life through custom illustrations, story designs, and the overall platform's look and feel. The site initially housed research-based feature articles, but has evolved to much more. It now is home to Microsoft’s Annual Trend Index Reports, the WorkLab podcast, short and long-form articles, quizzes, service packages, and more.
Since its inception in 2019, we’ve published over 80 articles, commissioned over 100 illustrations, and produced over 40 podcast episodes.
During my 3+ years at GDP, I was the Creative Director on the account. I helped create WorkLab, overseeing the site’s UX/UI design, the brand’s visual identity, and art direction for each of the stories published. Since 2019, we’ve published at a consistent cadence and I was involved in the content and strategy; advocating for and successfully pitching visually-led stories and interactive experiences.
Site Design
WorkLab is Microsoft’s thought-leadership publishing platform. As such, it needed to reflect Microsoft’s brand while still creating space to speak editorially. In other words, the purpose of an editorial platform is to tell real stories. If WorkLab were to look very branded, it would feel less authentic. We needed WorkLab to speak true to its editorial nature, and have a visual identity that allowed for authenticity in the stories it was telling.We borrowed the main elements from the Microsoft brand, typography and color, but adapted them to allow for the texture required for an editorial publication. We pushed to create editorial elements unfamiliar to the Microsoft brand, like pull quote styles, drop caps, and multiple heading options.
We created a design system that was modular, so that with only a few variations, we could create multiple pages that felt unique and could authentically house its types of content. From annual reports, to service-packages, quizzes, author pages, category pages, podcasts.... and more...we needed a system that allowed for variability and consistency.
We had a strict grid that we adhered to, along with site styles to create uniformity. Our modules allowed us to have three different story topper options, creating space for fully immersive features, standard articles, and more short-form content. Texture within long form articles was important; to avoid walls of text and allow for engagement throughout the piece. We let modules create variation in how we placed in-line imagery, pull quotes, sidebars, and even a toggle to bring interest and interactivity to data within stories.
Illustration played a crucial role on the site’s art direction. Creating unity through color, the art brought an elevated and editorial feel to the WorkLab brand.
Work Trend Index
Every year, Microsoft WorkLab publishes Work Trend Index Reports. They are the product of surveys of 30,000 people in 30 countries, along with telemetry analysis, and other reporting and research. These reports allow Microsoft to publish valuable findings establishing its authority in the future of work. The data helps uncover insights around how much time people spend in meetings, the benefits of AI, and how people are communicating in the workplace.
The Work Trend Index has been referenced by multiple publications, effectively establishing Microsoft as an authority in the future of work.
Podcast
The WorkLab podcast is an extension of the digital publication from Microsoft that explores the science and ingenuity of work, particularly when it comes to the growing adoption of generative AI. Produced in collaboration with Godfrey Dadich Partners, the podcast tackles big questions with economists, technologists, and researchers about how leaders can help their organizations thrive in the ever-evolving world of AI-infused work.
Copilot Launch
When Copilot launched in 2022, WorkLab was the perfect place for Microsoft to lay out its vision for this new era of AI. Our years of experience covering the latest developments in AI and working with clients that are pioneering the technology put us in a unique position to be helpful. We delivered a message that took over the homepage of WorkLab—a manifesto accompanied by animation, artwork, and videos. But the message needed to be developed very quickly. A distinctive look and feel for this ambitious statement would need to be developed. The technical infrastructure of the WorkLab site would need to be altered to deliver this vision. And all of this had to happen in utmost secrecy, while the vision was still being distilled and the product was still being finalized.
I led the creative direction of the project, from the illustration commissions, to the web design and experience. We created this video to visualize the effort that went into this launch; to bring forth the editorial thinking and design, to all the artistic elements that made it the success that it was.
Over the past four years, partnering with Microsoft to create and evolve WorkLab has been both professionally rewarding and personally enriching. As Creative Director, I worked closely with the client to craft a visually compelling, authentic platform that established Microsoft as a thought leader in AI and the future of work. From designing the site’s UX/UI to driving visually led storytelling, I embraced challenges that fostered innovation and collaboration.Through this partnership, I not only helped shape a platform now recognized for its authority and impact, but I also gained invaluable insights and grew as a creative professional.
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