TDA Visual Identity Challenge — Backend Foundation

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The problem

The Technopolis Development Authority Visual Identity Challenge invites young Kenyan creatives to register, understand a national design brief, submit work, and follow a structured review journey. The platform needs a clear public experience and dependable foundations for participant workflows.

My contribution

This is a team project, not a solo build. My public contributions established the initial FastAPI backend and its local delivery foundation:

Created the FastAPI application and initial routes.
Added PostgreSQL connectivity through SQLAlchemy.
Implemented a health endpoint that verifies application and database availability.
Added Docker, Docker Compose, environment configuration, and pgAdmin setup for repeatable local development.
Added environment and project scaffolding for the backend service.

The live platform

The deployed Nuxt experience presents the competition brief, eligibility journey, key dates, submission process, FAQs, and account entry points. It also exposes user-controlled accessibility preferences for text size, contrast, dyslexia-friendly typography, and reduced motion.

Engineering decisions

Health checks include the database, making availability more meaningful than a static “OK” response.
Environment-based connection configuration keeps deployment details outside source code.
Containerized local services reduce setup differences across contributors.
A separate backend and frontend allow teams to work on platform workflows independently.
Accessibility controls in the live product support a wider range of participants in a national competition.

What this demonstrates

Team delivery, backend project initialization, FastAPI, PostgreSQL connectivity, containerized development, operational health checks, and responsible attribution of shared work.