Brand book: Invoking calmness
Role
Senior Visual Designer
My Tools
Figma, After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop
Although my main focus as the senior visual designer was to build out our product's visual design. I owned and led the creation of Relief's brand design that's guiding our products and marketing efforts.
The Impact
We now have design consistency and cohesion across all touch points. It's empowering all our product initiatives and go-to-market strategies.
The Problem
Relief's early brand styles lacked accessibility, adaptability, identity, and documentation.
Process
Relief's core value is "People First." However, a design audit revealed a disconnect between this value and the styles used on the landing page. Accessibility, adaptability, and a cohesive brand identity were absent, along with any formal design documentation.
Seeking to bridge this gap, I met with leadership to understand their vision for Relief. A recurring theme emerged – the desire to create a sense of calmness throughout the user experience. This became the guiding light for our design refresh.
Crafting Tranquility: Visual identity, Voice, & Tone
The mission was clear: create an app that invokes calmness from the moment users open it. To achieve this, I experimented with various styles, colors, animation, fonts, and layouts. Eventually, I developed a visual language that was all about inviting users in. The visual art style I created doesn't compete for attention and simplifies the complex ideas that are woven throughout the experience.
This calming aesthetic isn't just about visuals. It works in harmony with the voice and tone crafted by our talented content designer, Toir. Together, we've woven a unique user experience that resonates deeply with our users. Complex ideas are presented in a simplified way, ensuring clarity without sacrificing visual appeal. The combined impact of design and content creates a one-of-a-kind experience that truly connects.
First impressions matter
In early user testing, testers immediately felt a sense of calm upon opening the app, proving the new direction was successfully invoking calmness. This solidified the Founders' support for the new design direction.
Results
The delivery of Relief's living brand book, see below.
