Website homepage for the Azambuja Lab at UT Austin
Azambuja Lab
Transforming how we fight brain tumors
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Keisha Okafor, logo design & illustration
Emily Vriesman, website strategy & build
Kika Tuff, creative direction
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Brand Strategy
Logo Design
Content Strategy & Development
Creative Direction and Production
Custom illustrations
Copywriting
Website Design
UX / UI / UA
A new perspective on brain cancer, and a brand full of hope
For children diagnosed with some of the most aggressive brain tumors, treatment options have changed remarkably little over decades. Dr. Juliana Azambuja is working to change that.
At the University of Texas at Austin, her lab explores the complex relationships between cancer cells, the immune system, and the brain to uncover new ways to treat tumors that have long resisted conventional therapies.
When Juliana came to Impact Media Lab, she wanted to build a brand that reflected both the innovation of her science and the warmth of the research community she was creating. She envisioned something elegant, feminine, and full of life, an identity that would feel distinctly her own while communicating the rigor and ambition of her research.
We developed a visual identity centered on the intricate connections within the brain, pairing delicate, flowing illustrations with a vibrant palette of pinks and deep purples. We carried that identity into a custom website that makes the lab’s complex science accessible, celebrates the people behind the research, and communicates a powerful vision for the future: more effective treatments, more time, and greater hope for patients and their families.
Brand design for the Azambuja Lab at UT Austin
about the lab
Turning the brain’s own defenses against cancer
Dr. Juliana Azambuja’s fascination with brain cancer began during her scientific training in Brazil, where she studied how tumors manipulate the immune system to support their own growth. During her postdoctoral research at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, she turned her attention to childhood brain tumors, including diffuse midline glioma, a devastating cancer for which effective treatment options remain extremely limited. As both a scientist and a mother, Juliana is driven by the urgency of developing treatments that give children more time while protecting their developing brains and quality of life.
The Azambuja Lab approaches brain cancer as a complex biological system rather than a collection of cancer cells. The team investigates how tumors communicate with neurons and immune cells, how they recruit the body’s own defenses to help them grow, and how those relationships might be disrupted. By combining cancer biology, neuroscience, and immunology with emerging technologies such as mRNA-based therapeutics, the lab is uncovering new vulnerabilities in aggressive brain tumors. Their goal is to develop more precise treatments that restore the body’s ability to fight cancer while protecting the healthy brain.
Brand design for the Azambuja Lab at UT Austin
The brand was designed to be:
Innovative, Nurturing, AND Vibrant
The Azambuja Lab is rethinking how we approach brain cancer by looking beyond the tumor itself. We wanted the visual identity to reflect this shift in perspective, capturing the intricate relationships between cancer cells, immune cells, and the surrounding brain. The logo brings these ideas together in an abstract brain composed of delicate, flowing lines that converge around a central cellular form. The same organic linework extends throughout the brand, creating a visual language that evokes the interconnected biological systems at the heart of the lab’s research.
Juliana envisioned an identity that felt elegant, feminine, and distinctly her own. We embraced this direction through graceful curves, fine illustrative details, and a thoughtful balance of modern and classic typography, creating a brand that feels both scientifically sophisticated and deeply personal.
Juliana is building a lab where people feel supported, curiosity is encouraged, and mentorship is as important as discovery. We brought that nurturing spirit into the identity through soft blush tones and warm, organic forms, moving away from the cold, clinical aesthetic often associated with cancer research. The result is a visual identity that reflects the welcoming community Juliana is creating alongside her ambitious science.
For a lab working on such devastating diseases, there is a remarkable sense of optimism in Juliana’s vision for the future. Bold magenta, rich plum tones, and expansive, flowing illustrations bring energy and movement to the website. Even medical imagery, including brain scans, becomes part of this vibrant visual world. The brand celebrates the people behind the science and the possibility that their discoveries could transform what a brain cancer diagnosis means.
Project deliverables
Brand discovery and strategy
Brand naming and positioning
Mission, vision, and tagline development
Primary and secondary logo design
Custom illustrated brand marks
Color palette and typography system
Custom graphic elements and brand patterns
Brand guidelines
Website strategy and sitemap
Website copywriting and content development
Custom website design and development
Scientific illustration
Branded merchandise and collateral
Color palette for the Azambuja Lab at UT Austin
Typography design for the Azambuja Lab at UT Austin
web design — home page
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