CASE STUDIES
There are a number of projects of which I am particularly proud and in which I am happy to have been a participating member. These works have been multi-faceted; some have been a single product with many elements–such as an annual travel guide–and some have been a corporate brand with recurring elements such as a monthly magazine or software front-end and social media channels.
Below are my two favorite projects which highlight my skill set:
- Planning Diva Co. corporate brand creation and UX/UI design
- Endocrine News magazine redesign and monthly medical publication
In January of 2023, I had the opportunity to join Layout Diva, a software-as-a-service startup company that would offer a start-to-finish management platform for event planners. The CEO and CTO founders hired me as their first employee, to serve as Creative Director to develop all the visuals for the up-and-coming company.
First item of business was the corporate brand identity. After the first concept sheet, I came back and asked, “But why not Planning Diva?” Their response was “You’re a f***ing genius” and Planning Diva Co was born. Together, we crafted the Planning Diva brand to appeal to our target market: individual and corporate event planners. After the logo came the Brand Style Guide. And then the investor pitch decks. And then we started developing the idea for the software. Planning Diva needed to be a management platform, but a beautiful one. A truly all-in-one, start-to-finish software for event planners that was intuitive and a pleasure to use. So I started the mockups and wireframes.
CEO Jenny Howard-Maxwell gave me free reign to research functionality and design everything as I saw fit, using her outline of what needed to be included. I had never tackled UX/UI design in my life, and I was thoroughly intimidated by the experts around me. But the software engineer team led by CTO Josh Walker made me feel comfortable as I had a crash course in Figma and learned on the fly. And together, we all crafted an incredible software platform package, both for desktop and mobile devices!
Next, I had to curate and populate Planning Diva’s social media channels. This was another leap for me, full of trial and error as to what worked or didn’t, what landed with viewers or didn’t. But a beautiful brand awareness was born, and media outlets started interviewing CEO Jenny Maxwell and inviting her to speak at conferences. And then there was the Launch Party… event promotion materials and signage and videos and swag galore! I spent the evening demonstrating the software platform to all interested investors and potential users, which was the most satisfying job of all.
I’m always looking for projects that challenge my creative abilities and improve my skillset. My year at Planning Diva Co was the best of both worlds. Now that I’ve made the leap to social media and software design, I have even more to offer future clients. Let’s create something together.
It is a medical/lifestyle magazine that goes to all members of this medical society.
In 2015, the editor of Endocrine News contacted me to redesign both the title and template of their publication. The logo and sections were completely reworked, and new formatting rules were set up for departments and features. The redesigned magazine won Association TRENDS Gold Award for Most Improved Magazine or Journal and was a finalist for the FOLIO: Eddie and Ozzie Awards category of Best Redesign.
Even better, I had long-time Endocrine Society members and employees tell me that they were pulled in by the engaging new design and that they had started actually reading the magazine cover to cover again. That’s just about the highest form of compliment that I can receive! I still work for Endocrine News today, parsing complex information into a reader-friendly layout, improving audience engagement and retention.
Below is a before and after look at the 2015 Endocrine News redesign:
Below are a sampling of covers and articles from the years of Endocrine News since 2015. I absolutely love magazine layout, and enjoy the challenges of presenting diverse topics from complex medical studies to travel and lifestyle journeys of member health professionals. Do you have a brand or publication that needs to be updated or started from scratch? Let’s create something together!
