a Website design case study: justcurated

Blog / Case Study

The story

When I met justCURATED’s Founder and Image Curator Rhyan Strasters at a local mixer, we immediately hit it off. Who doesn’t like a girl in rainbow sequin pants? We planned to meet a few days later to learn more about each other’s businesses. During our initial meeting, Rhyan expressed concern and frustration with her current web designer. Her initial designer was difficult to get in touch with and was often late or neglected scheduled meetings altogether. The designer’s timeline kept getting longer, and on top of that, the design and website user experience was not meeting Rhyan’s expectations.

“When I first sat down with Amanda, I was already working with another graphic designer. Shortly after our brief conversation, I really wished I had met her sooner. I knew I wanted to work with her but had invested so much time and money with someone else. It took my designer two months to get one page completed, and at that point, I really did not want to start from scratch. I licked my wounds, fired my current designer, and scheduled a time with Amanda to discuss my website. On our first meeting, we mapped out my site, talked about deadlines, and had an expected completion date—an equivalent to 7 meetings with my other designer. I was amazed! She has by far exceeded my expectations! If I can save every business owner from wasting time and money like I did, I would.”

The Challenge

The main challenge was to create a classy and visually engaging website design—a site that would display all of justCURATED’s services while showcasing the company’s style and personality. But as with all projects, the design was not the only challenge that needed to be addressed. For instance, Rhyan was concerned with the web development process and establishing her website in a limited span of time. For months, when potential clients searched for her online, all that appeared was a “coming soon” page. But even with a tight timeline, it was critical that Rhyan be regularly informed on the development of the website and changes. So justCURATED needed a website design that could be developed quickly, within budget, and Rhyan needed a good communicator with which to partner. Lastly, once it had all been designed and created, it needed to be easy for Rhyan to edit and add information, in order for her to take ownership and control of her site. Designing a website with A. Calvin Design is unique in that, upon completion of the project, the small business owner retains total control of their site. They are left with the skills and tools to become their website’s administrator, meaning when something need to be edited, they only need to log-in and edit it.

The Creative Process

Moodboard

Sketches

First Concepts

The Solution

The final solution for the justCURATED website was crafted to convey classiness, friendliness, and style. The black and white color pairing gives an air of class and timelessness while the subtle use of teal brings a fresh and friendly softness to the otherwise high contrast color palette. The fonts were chosen for a similar purpose. The serif Bodoni promotes a chic and high fashion aesthetic, while the script Cinque Donne adds a personal touch. One of the key aspects of the design was to show, not tell, which is why we decided to use a good amount of photography. The final design shows Rhyan’s audience what they can expect when they work with justCURATED: a friendly, classy, and curated service that inspires confidence.  

“I could have never thought that my website would look this amazing. It has absolutely surpassed the expectations I had in my mind.”