I have spent nearly four months working on my latest freelance project which is in part why it's been so long since I have written. When a seemingly surefire job lead fell through at the end of March, I was instantaneously presented with a serendipitous opportunity from a former boss. When people say, "It's who you know that counts," they are dead serious. But more poignantly than who you know is an outlook I so wholeheartedly adhere to:
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. -Alexander Graham Bell
This notion has been a prominent theme in my recent past. When I hold onto faith that good opportunities fall through so better ones can enter my life, the exact phenomenon happens. I was invited to consult for a startup launching a commercial real estate crowdfunding platform. I love accepting challenges outside of my comfort zone (finance is not one of my fortes). With a logo and some initial design brainstorming under tow, I entered the picture to fully refine and develop the brand.
There is something magically inspiring about working at a startup with so much vigor among everyone involved. I was honored to be lead design consultant for the public facing website. Without a full blown-brand already in existance, I got to run free with the creation of the first branded experience for Fund.com (talk about a gold mine for a domain).
I opted to use Style Tiles, a tremendously helpful tool to create the look and feel for a website and to get sign off before investing time on full comps. Created by the genius that is Samantha Warren, Style Tiles will stir excitement and invoke passion client-side while forcing the designer to think through design and UI features long before an entire style guide or home page is created. Visit the Style Tile site or get Samantha's perspective in A List Apart.
I got to circumvent the all-too-familiar flat design style to create an old-world feel imbued with textural layers of enchantment like a rich tapestry. I acheived this through transparent glassiness, depth and sparkle. I gleaned inspiration from golden amber gradients from whiskey bottles and molten glass, midnight blues of starry nights and geometric patterns from wall and floor tiles. My intent was to evoke pathos in the user with a sense of whimsy and wonder; to feel as though they have stumbled upon an elusive gemstone. This design style would not only reflect the high quality of the product, but simultaneously set them apart from the endless competitor sites using the same, two-dimensional bootstrap theme.
Through sophisticated design and usability, I aimed to appeal to the users by establishing ethos. They are entrusting the site with exorbitant amounts of investment funds, so the design must speak to the credibility of the platform. Gabe Roeloffs' article Using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to Design Effective Websites is a worthwhile read when creating a persuasive website. Roeloffs explains:
The fact is that people are more likely to do business with those they trust. Design passively tells the user whether they can trust you or not, design establishes the ethos of your website.
With multiple Style Tiles in tow, we narrowed down the details and I began creating interior comps. The idea of skipping the home page felt unfamiliar to me, but I felt confident after the Style Tile process. Looking back now that the site is nearly finished, I can't imagine starting another web design project without Style Tiles. The few templates and patterns created among the Style Tile and preliminary interior comps allowed me to seamlessly develop the other UI patterns and page layouts.
The design process for this passion project reinvigorated my affinity for the brand and user experience. Such careful attention was paid to the sparkle of each page to maintain the elusive quality and make even the simplest content pages shine. It is rare opportunities like this one that makes me in love with life. Creativity is a lens through which I view the world. It reminds me who I am through and through: a creative soul.