As a side note, I first have to say - I love Brittany! She is an AMAZING person and a really great friend!! So, thank you Brittany, for putting your baby in my hands ;). I will love it as my own! ~ can't get enough exclamations here
Brittany and I first met to discuss the direction of her interior design company a while back. She was unhappy with her current design studio, feeling like they just didn't get her creative aesthetic. Instead of filtering through her ideas to see what would effectively work in her case, they just regurgitated everything into one design idea.
When we met, she was more than concerned that I wouldn't be able to deliver either - which, I might add, was completely valid after being traumatized from that experience. Knowing this, I really took the time to HEAR what she was saying, allowing her to get everything out.
I think that once this is done, it's easier to go back and filter through, picking out what will be really amazing for the scope of the project.
Brittany's main concern was that she couldn't decide on one particular look or feel to go with. She was inspired by the leaders in her field, but also by other industries, such as fashion. She was really excited, wanted something great and for it to be successful - I could tell it was overwhelming her.
As a designer, I feel her pain. I'm constantly swayed by other design ideas I think are done effectively, my mood, or bright shiny things (in these cases, the WOW designs), ha ha!
I think it's important to look at other resources for design inspiration, but not get hung up on it. That can leave you feeling like, either you need to replicate it (VERY BAD) or discouraged, knowing you'll never be able to recreate their success. There is not another you, so just be you, that is what will set you apart!
She did know she didn't want anything literal, or for it to scream interior designer or architect - something interior designers often get confused with. She wanted to break out of the box, a 'big reveal' as she called it (by her definition: having a black cloak over a box, you know its a box under there, but you don't know what's in the box). Although wanting to create a mystery, it was still important to her to come across as a professional to her vendors, clients and potential clients.
She also knew that she liked a monochromatic color scheme with a pop(s) of color. Another direction she wanted me to explore was combining traditional and script fonts. (my favorite!)
A few weeks later, we met again. I had some time to mull over our previous conversation and I was prepared to get to the heart of her design direction. As she started to pull together new findings, I decided it would be best to just have a discussion.
To start it off, I asked her to give me three adjectives - things that immediately popped up for her. She hated me for this, but it really helped her to be decisive and to pick only those that truly resonated with her. She came up with: Sophisticated, Classic and Timeless. I then asked her to show me one image or website that reflected these words for her, helping me to see how she defined these words visually.
These adjectives will be further interpreted in the official website design
These are the initial design directions.
Brittany liked direction one but how direction two was centered.
With some minor tweaking, the final Landing Page design.
You can read the original post here or check it out online here.
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