One of the favorite parts of my web design process is getting to know each and every client before moving forward with the actual web design. A website is not simply a tool for customers to search and book/purchase; it’s also the online identity of one’s business. It needs to capture the personality, passion, and expertise of each of my clients.
This comes from questionnaires, research on what’s already established for my client’s business, and insight on their visions for the future of their business.
Jenna Quinn reached out to me to redesign and capture the essence of her unique pet welfare advocacy blog - one that stems from positivity and education rather than pressure and sadness. As soon as I learned about the vision for her brand, I knew her project would be a fun one and I’m excited to share it with you.
Here’s a step-by-step look into my web design process works and how Jenna From Champ’s website was brought to life.
Step 1: Gathering the Inspiration
Some of the most telling information I gather from my clients come from the most simple questions. So, I have all my web design clients fill out a questionnaire about their website preferences and branding visions.
One of my favorite questions to ask my clients is:
What adjectives would you use to describe your brand?
Jenna described hers as positive, fun, optimistic, dog obsessed, and impactful.
So, to get started on a visual direction, I always start by creating an inspiration board and color palette using preferences of my client as well as research backed up from color psychology and pet industry research.
Here’s what I came up with for Jenna:
Jenna wanted sparkles, pinks, and as she described, all things “girly and frilly.” However, in addition to the feminine pinks and peaches, the addition of blues and dark cranberry created a contrast that neutralizes the brand colors.
The softness of the brand and addition of the pug in the branding captures the caring and genuine nature of both Jenna AND the pet industry in terms of advocacy and welfare. Because her subject matter can contain graphic and upsetting stories and information, I wanted to ensure that the branding was gentle and comforting at the same time.
P.S. It didn't hurt that she LOVES pugs!!! Had to fit something in there for that!
Step 2: Finalizing the “Brand”
After the approval of the branding inspiration, we moved into the finalization of the brand concept. After all, a brand is MORE than just colors. It also includes other components, such as fonts, texture, high-quality photography, patterns, etc. It all works together to produce a cohesive system - one that works efficiently to produce results.
So, to capture the girly and frilly essence of Jenna’s personality and brand preferences, I chose a beautiful frilly script that’s subtle and professional. And, of course, because it’s best to contrast your fonts (especially with a decorative font), we paired the dominant Mightype Script with a simple Avenir Light for the headers and body text.
Step 3: The Web Design
Then comes the part where I get to work! It’s so common for me to get completely lost in each of my client’s web design process. I absolutely love the design work and love keeping my client’s personality at the forefront. I truly wanted to capture Jenna’s positively and spirit in her web design. Her passion for pet welfare just oozed out of her, and I wanted to make it showed.
She wanted her blog at the forefront and wanted to make sure that her website was easy to follow and navigate.
This was the final product:
Simple and professional call-to-action buttons on the home page:
Something that truly resonated with me when working with Jenna was the answer to this questionnaire question:
What feeling or message do you want your website to convey to viewers?
Her response: “You can be a happy, open, loving, caring, educated, animal (or dog) welfare advocate. I want people to walk away feeling inspired to use their voice!”
When I look at what she’s done and what her website represents for pet welfare and advocacy, I see the passion, joy, and the positive impact she’s making on the world.
Thank you so much, Jenna! I loved working with you and can’t wait to see what you do next. :)
Are you interested in working with us on a website design for your pet business? Head here for more information on what’s included, the design process, pricing, and the steps to move forward.
Looking to make improvements to your own website?
