Kapuli.org

In 2020, I had the chance to work with Kapuli, a small startup from Peru with a mission: to connect educators with students. At the time, I was looking for a way to teach courses in design and programming but realized there wasn’t a platform in Peru for this purpose. Kapuli aimed to fill that gap by creating a marketplace for teachers to sell their courses while also promoting education equality. What drew me most to their vision was their commitment to giving back. They were aiming to donate part of their earnings to education charities and worked to make learning materials accessible in remote areas with unreliable internet.

Their slogan, "Knowledge for Everybody," reflected this perfectly—they even sought permission from educators to distribute courses offline, ensuring that education reached the farthest corners of the country. Inspired by their mission, I reached out to offer my design services, and luckily, they said yes.

When I started working with Kapuli, their first request was for a logo that would represent their vision. They initially hesitated about investing in design, given their limited budget, so I offered my services pro bono. It was during the height of COVID, and I was eager to contribute to something meaningful while keeping myself engaged. Their brief was simple: they wanted a logo that felt welcoming, catchy, and straightforward. I began my research and remembered something I’d learned during a trip to Cuzco before the pandemic. "Capuli" is actually the name of a berry native to the region, which the locals connect with knowledge, it was perfect! I based my logo and name for the startup on that.  

I made the lettering and logo simple. I wanted something light that could be used in many different platforms. The berry, made from a few "strokes" of color, would serve as an icon when the lettering couldn't fit. They loved it.

After this, meeting they were in love with the concepts I placed forward and wanted to keep me in the company one way or the other. I offered my services as a content creator, and then a website designer and then I ended up doing anything and everything related to Kapuli's online presence.

The website I made using WordPress, I tried to keep it as simple as possible: Big shapes, few words. The colors simple and "fun". Once again, after a bit of feedback they loved what I did to the website. But sadly, due to me having less and less time. I had to stop working with the startup and last I heard, they lost funding.

Still, it was one of my favorite experiences as I got to work with many different people who were all working towards the same goal. A goal, that I genuinely believed in.