Takeoff by IXL

Overview

Translating digital pedagogy into a physical classroom.

Introducing Takeoff, video preview — IXL’s official introduction to Takeoff.

Takeoff is a K–5 print curriculum system that translates IXL’s digital pedagogy into a physical classroom experience, 3,000+ pages across 18 volumes, built to scale across diverse learning environments.

As Lead Visual and Systems Designer, I designed both the visual identity and the underlying design infrastructure: a color-and-typography “navigational GPS” that keeps complex instructional content intuitive for students and effortless for teachers at any scale.

Impact in numbers

17M+

students currently using · 96 of the top 100 U.S. districts

Design Core: a living visual infrastructure that grows with learners.

56.5→81%

IEP student proficiency

Design Core: reshaping dense lessons into clean visual paths.

CA + FL

official state adoption · compliance gatekeeper

Design Core: inclusive classrooms where every child can thrive.

3,000+

curriculum pages · Pre-K to Grade 5

Design Core: reusable layouts & smart tokens for error-free production.

Click the “+” to reveal the Design Core behind each number.

01 · The Context

A curriculum system built to scale learning.

IXL Learning already reaches 30% of U.S. students digitally, with more than 17 million students currently using it. Takeoff is the bridge that brings that same pedagogy into the physical classroom, a first-of-its-kind print curriculum built from a blank page to statewide adoption, on a platform teachers and students already trust.

But bringing this vision into the physical classroom revealed a persistent challenge that modern educators face daily, which led directly to our mission.

Takeoff brings IXL’s digital pedagogy into the physical classroom.

The Problem

A mountain of paperwork, fragmented materials, and endless bookmarked links. Modern educators spend upwards of 15 hours per week on lesson planning, sacrificing personal time just to prepare.

The Mission

Build an “instant-start” curriculum that removes the need for material adaptation, creating an intuitive, day-to-day experience for both educators and learners.

02 · My Role

Collaborating across 50+ stakeholders.

In 2023, I joined IXL Learning to lead the brand visual and infrastructure design for Takeoff, IXL’s first-ever print curriculum product. From concept to final production, I guided the project’s visual DNA and scaled the system across a cross-functional team of 50+ stakeholders.

50+ stakeholdersthe few I collaborated with most

The cross-functional Takeoff team, illustrators, visual and content designers, curriculum, product, UI, research, marketing and sales, with Ting among them

Ownership Breakdown

Visual System

Blank page to launch

I built the scalable visual system and brand voice from a blank page through to launch.

Cross-Functional

Alignment at scale

Collaboration across Product Managers, Curriculum Designers, Visual Designers, Illustrators, Researchers, Marketing and Sales.

Scale & Execution

System-led delivery

Partnered closely with in-house and contract designers to execute the framework efficiently.

03 · Competitors

What the market was missing.

Before touching the canvas, we studied existing K–5 math programs to understand what made content digestible, and where it fell flat. Three patterns kept appearing across every competitor we reviewed.

Competitor workbooks where grade differentiation stops at the cover

Grade differentiation stopped at the cover

Internal systems felt interchangeable. With no visual identity per grade beyond the cover art, the curriculum lacked an intuitive sense of progression.

Competitor spreads laid out page-by-page rather than systematically

Layout built page-by-page, not systematically

Every spread required individual decisions a system would have made automatic, creating friction at every handoff and grade transition.

Cramped competitor layouts with tiny answer boxes

Usability sacrificed for aesthetics

Tiny answer boxes and cramped layouts prioritized “fitting content into a catalog” over what works best for young learners.

Every gap became our design principle:
clear differentiation, systematic layout,
& strong usability.

So we turned those principles
into how we actually built.

04 · Design Process & Brand Story

Why birds?
Letting learning take flight.

The idea behind Takeoff was simple: learning takes flight.

We shaped the brand to feel like a moment of lift-off, where students are growing, moving forward, and discovering what they can do. The visual identity communicates progress and personalization while remaining calm and structured. It is energetic without becoming chaotic, playful while maintaining clarity; a balance between motivation and stability across grade levels.

Color progression

Guided by our newly defined brand personality keywords, I built a color system that visualizes student progression from one year to the next, shifting from vibrant colors to richer, deeper tones as kids grow.

Exploring Concepts: From Insects, Animals to Birds

I partnered with another principal designer to brainstorm and design these fun book covers for our Takeoff workbooks. After evaluating multiple insects and animals together, we chose birds as our final direction. They not only feel the most familiar and welcoming to kids, but they also perfectly align with our takeoff theme, allowing us to bring each grade’s unique, evolving traits to life through a cohesive system.

Click any cover to reveal the playful math details and Easter eggs woven into each design.