SENA App

Founder • Marketing Strategy • Community Building • Content Design
2022 – Present | India → New York City

While SENA’s product evolved through systems design, information architecture, and user research, the brand evolved through public engagement. Before a product existed, I used branding, marketing, community outreach, and awareness campaigns to understand how people recognized, interpreted, and responded to conversations around gender-based violence.

Over four years, the project evolved from an undergraduate thesis called Safe & Secure (SAS) into SENA, an incorporated startup operating across the United States. This page documents the evolution of the brand, the communication strategy behind it, and how marketing became a tool for research, validation, and community building.

Creating a Brand Around the Insight

From Safe & Secure (SAS) to SENA

The project originally launched under the name Safe & Secure (SAS).

At the time, the goal was straightforward: create a platform that helped women access verified support resources. As research expanded, the project began to represent something larger than a directory of services.

The name eventually evolved into SENA, a word meaning army in Sanskrit. The shift reflected a broader vision. Rather than simply providing information, the platform sought to represent collective support, solidarity, and the idea that no one should have to navigate violence or recovery alone.

Building the Brand Identity

Designing a Symbol of Support

The visual identity evolved alongside the research.

Early explorations investigated:

Safety
Protection
Guidance
Community
Human connection

Over dozens of iterations, the identity moved away from shields, locks, and conventional security imagery.

The final symbol emerged as an abstract human form that could simultaneously represent:

An individual
A support system
A community
A network of care

Evolution of the Visual Language

Phase 1: Resource Access

When the platform functioned primarily as a resource directory, the visual system emphasized trust and accessibility.

The identity used:

Soft pastel palettes
Healthcare-inspired colors
Institutional references
Resource-focused messaging

The goal was to help users discover support resources.

Phase 2: Navigation & Empowerment

Rebranding

As SENA evolved from a resource directory into a navigation platform, the visual language evolved alongside it.

Typography became bolder.
Messaging became more direct.
The color system became more confident.
The objective was no longer awareness alone.

The objective was to help people move from confusion to clarity.

Building an Early Community

Before launching the product, the project focused on building trust.

Through outreach, public engagement, educational content, partnerships, and awareness campaigns, SENA was able to:

Build an early waitlist of 120+ users
Establish relationships with community organizations
Generate ongoing user feedback
Validate product positioning
Create awareness before launch

All growth was achieved organically without paid advertising.