Duolingo English Test · Partnership PageRebranding a Duolingo partner page for the international student platform

01Overview

BMI partnered with Duolingo English Test and asked for a page that mirrored the Duolingo home page, styled in the international student platform's theme.

I handled the work end to end: visual exploration, UI/UX in Figma, and the final implementation. Each decision was reviewed and approved by the client. This project was assigned to me before the international platform rebuild was handed over to me, so the page used the platform's earlier design. It has since been taken down, so this case study relies on design files and reference captures.

02A partner page with two brands

The page had to feel familiar to people who know Duolingo, and still belong to the platform.

• The source of truth for content and structure was the Duolingo English Test home page.
• The destination was the platform's sites (Salão do Estudante is one example), each with its own navigation, footer, and colour identity.
• The audience was students considering an English proficiency test for study abroad.

03The brief

Reuse a proven page structure without it looking like a pasted copy of someone else's site.

• Duolingo's palette (cream background, navy, yellow) differed from the client's brand.
• The partner page needed clear calls to action to practise for free and to view institutions.
• Navigation and footer had to match the host sites rather than Duolingo.

04My role

I was responsible for design and implementation, with client approval at each step.

• Designed the page in Figma using Duolingo's layout as the reference.
• Recoloured the supplied SVG illustrations to the client palette.
• Implemented the approved design as a responsive page.

05Approach

Keep the structure, change the identity.

• Structure: hero with checklist and primary call to action, three benefit cards, a full-width call-out band, a three-step test breakdown with duration tags, and a closing call to action.
• Colour: Duolingo's pale cream hero and navy bands were reworked into a deep indigo and warm gold scheme with pink accents.
• Illustrations: because the assets were SVG, I could recolour them so characters and scenes matched the new palette without redrawing.

Reference and redesign

View full size Duolingo English Test home page (reference). The original page used as the structural reference.View full size Redesigned partner page. The same structure in the platform's theme, shown with the platform's old footer.View full size Redesigned partner page, tablet. The responsive tablet layout.View full size Redesigned partner page, mobile. The responsive mobile layout.

06Key design decisions

• Make the hero call to action a high-contrast gold button on a soft cream card, so the primary action stands out.
• Turn the 'send results to every school' section into a solid indigo band with a world-map texture to break up the light page.
• Raise the benefit cards above the background with shadows and borders so each reads as its own point.
• Use gold duration tags for the three test stages so timing is scannable.
• Use the platform's navigation with a gold register button, and close with the platform's footer (the earlier version, before the rebuild).

07Challenges & trade-offs

• Stay close enough to the partner page to be recognisable, while differing enough to feel branded.
• Recolour illustrations while keeping skin tones, outlines, and contrast readable.
• Hold the playful decoration back so it does not compete with the calls to action.

08Result

The client approved a partner landing page that carried Duolingo's content and structure in the platform's look.

• Same page flow as the original, with the client's navigation and footer.
• A recoloured illustration set consistent with the new palette.
• Clear primary actions in a single brand colour.

09Portfolio takeaway