Refreshing Raw Beauty Source's Blog Design

Overview

Raw Beauty Source is a blog dedicated to Health, Beauty, and Nutrition, offering articles grounded in scientific studies and research. At the end of 2022, I worked on a comprehensive design refresh for the blog to enhance its visual appeal, improve user experience, and maintain its authority in the health and beauty niche. This involved updating the logo, homepage elements, blog pages, the Skin Advisor page, the "Raw Beauty Source in Numbers" page, and various components such as team cards, medical network cards, and the 404 page, including an animation for the latter.

Role and Contributions

As an independent designer, I led the design efforts to refresh Raw Beauty Source’s blog. My responsibilities included:

Collaborating with the client to understand their vision and requirements.
Creating a modern and cohesive design that aligns with the brand's identity.
Ensuring the new design was responsive and user-friendly across all devices.

Discovery, Planning, and Logo Refresh

The project began with a discovery and planning phase, where I conducted a thorough analysis of the existing design to identify areas for improvement. This phase also included refining the logo to reflect a modern and fresh brand identity, ensuring it was versatile for various applications across the blog and social media.

Homepage and Blog Page Redesign

The homepage redesign involved updating the hero section to make a strong first impression and engage visitors, and refreshing the footer to improve navigation and include essential links and information. Additionally, the blog pages were refined to ensure a cleaner and more readable presentation of articles, with enhanced typography and spacing to improve readability and user experience.

Skin Advisor and Component Refresh

The Skin Advisor page was redesigned to be more intuitive and visually appealing, incorporating interactive elements to engage users and provide a personalized experience. The design of team cards and medical network cards was also updated to align with the new brand aesthetics, ensuring consistency in style and design across all components.

404 Page and "Raw Beauty Source in Numbers" Page Design

For the 404 page, I created a visually appealing and user-friendly design, developing a custom animation to make the error page more engaging and aligned with the brand’s playful yet professional tone. Additionally, a new "Raw Beauty Source in Numbers" page was designed to highlight key metrics and achievements in an engaging manner, using infographics and visual aids to showcase important data.

Challenges and Solutions

As the sole designer on the Raw Beauty Source blog redesign project, I faced several challenges that required thoughtful solutions.

Balancing Modern Design with Brand Identity

Integrating a modern design approach while preserving the brand's existing identity was a key challenge. To address this, I collaborated closely with the client through regular feedback sessions to refine the logo and visual elements. This iterative process ensured that the design harmonized contemporary aesthetics with the brand’s established identity.

Maintaining Consistency Across Components

Achieving a cohesive design across various elements, such as team cards and the 404 page, required attention. I updated each component to align with the refreshed brand aesthetics and developed a comprehensive style guide to maintain consistency in typography, color schemes, and visual elements throughout the blog.

Ensuring Seamless Responsiveness Across All Devices

Adapting the design to be fully responsive across different devices and screen sizes posed a challenge. I utilized responsive design techniques, and conducted thorough testing to ensure a seamless user experience across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Adapting to the Client's Decision to Discontinue the Blog

While working on the design refresh, the founders decided to shift focus away from the blog. Together, we selected which updates to implement, prioritizing those that would generate revenue and provide immediate value. These selected updates were implemented by the end of 2022, and the blog was eventually closed in July 2024.

Outcome and Conclusion

The design refresh for Raw Beauty Source, completed in the summer of 2022, successfully modernized the blog, enhancing its alignment with the brand’s commitment to health and beauty. The updated design significantly improved user engagement, readability, and the overall user experience. Despite these advancements, not all proposed designs were implemented due to the client’s decision to discontinue the blog. This transition period, which spanned a year, involved careful selection of which updates to prioritize for immediate impact and revenue generation.

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