An ePortfolio is a great way for learners to reflect on their learning and track progress and evidence towards accreditation. However, if you are using multiple platforms for your learning strategy, for example, a learning management system (LMS) and an ePortfolio, it’s important that they visually align with your brand. Because when your platforms reflect your brand, this creates a deeper sense of trust in your learning ecosystem. For example, entering password credentials into a platform your learners don’t recognise could cause them security concerns. Additionally, it can reinforce your brand as a trusted learning provider for your learners.
Therefore, it’s worth researching which platforms can support theming. After all, ePortfolio layout and design goes deeper than what meets the eye.
ePortfolio design in Mahara
Mahara is an ideal solution for people who need a portfolio platform that fully integrates with their learning platform ecosystem. Below we’ll discuss how graphic design and theming in Mahara can be achieved.
Built-in themes in Mahara
By default, Mahara comes with six themes to choose from. So if you don’t (yet) have to follow a brand identity, you’ve got a good baseline to start from. The themes change the style of the ePortfolio, so you have different colours and fonts to work with.
Bespoke design in Mahara
A familiar design in an ePortfolio like Mahara can be reassuring to learners and professionals. This creates a sense of trust and provides a more cohesive user experience.
Mahara uses SCSS, Bootstrap, and Font Awesome to create a cohesive and consistent look across the site. The built-in style guide in Mahara provides a quick overview of what commonly used elements look like in any theme.
If you have CSS skills and are interested in making your own theme, you can do so. Step-by-step instructions are available to subscribers within the Mahara code base.
However, if you need support for your ePortfolio design to reflect your brand, you can partner with a skilled designer. At Catalyst, our graphic designers can:
- Create a bespoke ePortfolio design that matches your brand identity.
- Or design a brand identity with you.
Make the most out of Mahara with Catalyst
Mahara design services
We can help you customise your Mahara site to match your business needs. Here are a few ways we can help:
- Firstly, our team will take the time to understand you, your brand, and your design guidelines. Then we’ll bring your brand to life in Mahara.
- We always ensure usability and accessibility are embedded in the design process and ePortfolio layout. For example, we review considerations like colour contrast for the visual elements to ensure they meet current accessibility guidelines.
If you’d like to see an example of how Catalyst created and implemented effective branding, check out the presentation 'Thinking about design'. Our Catalyst designers also completed the latest brand refresh of the Mahara community website, which is built using Mahara.
To the left is a good showcase of what you can do with Mahara. We've added an additional navigation menu and also changed what the layout looks like on the homepage.
Another example of Catalyst design services is showcased in our partnership with Pharmacy Council. Using their brand guidelines, we created a bespoke experience through graphic design and custom features. These elements of ePortfolio design improved the overall usability and look and feel of Mahara for the professionals engaging with it.
Alternatively, if you don’t have an existing brand identity or you need a refresh for your portfolio site, we can help you with that. For example, we can develop a logo design, create graphics, source images, and build the design for you, such as our graphic design work with Kōpaki Tiaki Hauora Healthcare Portfolio. Our graphic design team created the brand identity and applied it to Mahara.
Kristina Hoeppner, Mahara Project Lead, says, “Evonne Cheung, one of our graphic designers at Catalyst, was fantastic to work with. We worked together to develop the brand identity of Kōpaki Tiaki Hauora Healthcare Portfolio collaboratively. Whilst keeping our goal in mind, we iterated over early versions of the logo and eventual design. Having the brand identity helped us to create additional visuals for marketing material and presentations, ensuring we represent the service well.”
Mahara support services
Aside from effective design work, we:
- Provide tailored training and support packages to help you get the most out of Mahara.
- Build custom features and workflows.
- Integrate your Mahara site with other systems such as Moodle, Tōtara, and other LMSs, and your identity management system.
Offer 24/7 monitoring and security protocols in place, we offer a safe, stable, and scalable hosting environment.
If you’re interested in making an ePortfolio, have a go on the Mahara demo site. Or if you’d like to read more about what Mahara can offer, check out our blog post 'What is the Mahara portfolio platform?'.