We discussed Marybeth's   vision, mission, ambitions and target audience, and as part of my in-depth process, she also filled out a very detailed questionnaire about herself and her business. This allowed me to gain an understanding of her wants and needs in terms of her business, her brand and her website  – as outlined in the section above – and start the creative ideation to bring everything to life.

Strategy Session

I started crafting a Brand Identity based on all the knowledge gained in our strategy session, and from the answers to the questionnaire.

For the logo design, a simple,  friendly and approachable typeface –  in line with Marybeth’s personality and the essence of her brand  – was the way to go. The rounded font  perfectly communicates all of these aspects.  In addtion, to instantly make her stand apart and to subtly communicate her unique approach, I added the droplet to her logo that not only clearly reflects essential oils, but also symbolises nourishment (taking care of yourself and putting your needs first, things that Marybeth coaches her clients on).

brand Identity design

For the colour palette, I integrated shades of purple that signal spirituality, complemented by a dark brown that is typically the colour of the essential oil bottles, and some earthy tones for groundedness (Simply Essential not not just about spirituality), as well as lighter tones to add an airy and light feel, and create a solid contrast between the different tones (one of the most important design principles). My goal was that the colour palette would nicely complement brand imagery.

Finally, I picked a selection of typefaces that would further support the desired aesthetic –  a simple and clean sans serif font for headlines, subheading and body copy, and a script font for accents for that personal touch. Because  the headline, the subheading and body are all the  same font, just in different weight and size, the look and feel is very cohesive, consistent and clean,  providing great legibility and good hierarchy. Although similar to the logo font, it is intentionally chosen to be less round so that the copy  wouldn't  compete with the logo and the logo would still be able to stand out.

From an imagery point of view, I defined the guidelines to include images of essential oils, oracle cards and crystals as well as images of relaxed, happy women to showcase the end-result  of what Marybeth's coaching clients would aspire to. I also gave Marybeth tips for her brand photos to make sure her images would complement her Brand Identity.

Step 1

Step 2

website COPY + design

Step 3

Before starting to design Marybeth's  website, I restructured and edited all the copy that she had submitted and added to it, to make her messaging really clear and compelling as well as emphasise her uniqueness. The aim was to make it clear to any potential clients why she is the one to work with.

Among other things, this was achieved by presenting her own story and challenges in a way that makes her relatable  to those who currently struggle with similar issues, all while strengthening the ‘like and trust’ factor.

I designed Marybeth’s website with her number 1 goal in mind – to have visitors book a consultation call with her. In addition, I used her Brand Identity to create her business an elevated online home that would build credibility, trust and attract the right type of clients to her services.

Marybeth's primary strategic goal was achieved by thought-through user journeys, structuring the content in a manner that makes it easy for the visitor to understand why Marybeth is the ultimate solution, what makes her and her approach unique, how she can help, and guiding the visitor to take the next step to achieve her desired outcome.

The overall aim was that her Home, About, Work with Me and Blog pages would all take the website visitor on a journey from A (identifying their ‘problem’) to B (where they could be with Marybeth’s help).

By being in charge of both website copy and design, as well as branding, I was able to take a holistic approach where copy supports the design and vice versa, and all the elements together would create a beautiful but impactful website.

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