overview
In order to more effectively target the urban communities in Seattle and the Eastside, VDB Luxury developed a new sub-brand, VDB Urban Living and needed brand styling, marketing materials, HTML emails, direct marketing, and a unique web presence.
my role
I was the sole designer for all of the designs needed for this brand launch. I was responsible for pre-press production for the print assets, as well as static, interactive, HTML mockups for the digital products.
I worked with the company founder on the direction and styling, received input on my designs from my direct supervisor, and an external team was responsible for the development.
Research & planning
methods
Using competitive analysis and analytics from the company’s current web presence, I iterated with the stakeholders and web team to develop an information architecture for the new site.
Design & prototyping
Tools used
Adobe CS (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Marvel, HTML/CSS
Process
Initial sketches were based on the current company website and most changes were visual. However, after competitive research in the specific urban niche, I explored more dramatic changes that focused on experiential information rather than being more targeted for SEO.
Once the designs had started taking shape and in order to help more visual stakeholders better understand the intended designs, I used Marvel to create clickthrough digital prototypes to help illustrate the flow and architecture, and delivered annotated wireframes to the external development team to help with communication.
Extending
After the website was designed and launched, I also created a full suite of branded print materials, HTML emails, and direct mail marketing for the new brand.
