the awakenings project (2024)
I redesigned The Awakenings Project’s website to make it feel contemporary, welcoming, and accessible. The organization supports artists living with mental illness and addiction, and I wanted the design to reflect their creativity and inclusive spirit.
My process focused on restructuring the information architecture to simplify navigation and reduce visual clutter. I introduced a clean layout, warm color palette, and clear typography to make the copy-heavy content easier to read and more engaging. The result is a site that feels open and approachable for users of all ages and levels of digital familiarity.
The scope of work included user research, establishing a design system (typography, color palette, and components), building the sitemap, designing wireframes, editing mockups for the e-commerce vendor, prototyping, and developing the final website.
Software: Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma, Cargo Collective.
sketches
This layout
utilizes a split-page template inspired by the shape of a book, referencing The Awakenings Review, the organization’s literary publication. Warm yellows evoke positivity and invitation, while calming greens suggest nature, growth, and wellbeing, creating an approachable and uplifting aesthetic.
typography/color paletteHEADER: Helvatica Neue
BODYCOPY: Charter Regular
CAPTION: Charter Regular
COLOR PALETTE
desktop version
mobile version
unselected direction
This direction takes inspiration from newspaper layouts, using thin guidelines and columned text to create structure and order. A restrained color palette of white, gray, and dark gray produces a minimalist, clean, modern, and serious look, emphasizing clarity and focus.