Howest Research

Jana Elst: Development, UI
Research & UX done together

Challenge

Howest Research has more than 130 projects, but much of that knowledge remains difficult for companies to discover and understand. On top of that, their existing information points are fixed in place.

The challenge was to turn all this research into something portable, engaging, and easy to explore, helping companies discover new research.

Year

2025

Role

Research, UX, design, 3D

Type

Bachelor thesis

MixBox

Year

2025

Services

branding, app design

Type

bachelor thesis

Challenge

read

MixBox brings the experience of cocktail-making into people’s homes, pairing surprising recipes and quality ingredients with everything needed to make them. But while cocktail culture can feel exciting and premium, mixology can also seem complicated or intimidating to the inexperienced. The challenge is to build a brand that makes premium feel approachable, turning cocktail-making into something anyone can pick up, enjoy, and share.

A portable information point for Howest Research, making over 130 research projects easier to discover, understand, and implement.

StrategyOur research showed that companies are interested in research, but often see starting a new research project as too time-consuming, expensive, or difficult to implement. Howest Research offers a different proposition: the research has already been done. Companies can use what is already there. This became the foundation of our concept.

3D render

ConceptThe Research Pick Up Point turns the idea of “picking up” research into a physical experience. At the centre is an innovation parcel containing a hologram that helps visualise each research project. Alongside it is an interactive screen that lets visitors browse the full collection and explore projects in more detail. The two work together: the screen is used to discover and navigate, while the hologram makes each project tangible and visible from a distance.

3D renders

Visual SystemRather than manually designing a visual for every research project, we created a system that could do it automatically. The project's domain determines the colour, its main cluster forms the centre, and its linked keywords and themes shape the surrounding elements. We created 13 cluster visuals, 53 keyword/theme visuals and 8 compositions across 5 domain colours, generating more than 3,200 images in the process.

Visual IdentityThe visual identity builds on Howest's existing brand while pushing it into a more innovative direction. Their colours and typography create the foundation, while glass, soft gradients, 3D elements and subtle depth bring the research experience to life. Rounded forms and friendly 3D icons reflect Howest's value of care, keeping the experience approachable rather than overly technical.

studio MixBox