Better case studies + Designs for fun & bold web pages

I’ve been deep in case study mode lately.
And wow… the number of drafts, rewrites, and iterations I’ve gone through? Kind of unhinged. But also kind of necessary.

Because here’s what I’ve realized:
It’s more than knowing the “who”…
But who it’s for + what they actually WANT to see. (screenshots below in the next section)

That sounds obvious, but it gets tricky fast.

If you’re the decision maker, and even if you hired out, creating something with your own tastes in mind is an expensive gamble.

Also, being ambitious and assuming you know the people on the receiving end is going to lead to confusion. Like when you’ve taken courses, tutorials, hired coaches… and half the advice wasn’t even made for you.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked, “Have you worked with designers?” and the answer is basically:
- “Yes, (with one or two examples)”
- Or “This is relevant to ALL business owners.”
- Or my personal favorite “Well, I am a designer,” based on something they did years ago before becoming a coach for coaches.

Let’s look at it from another angle because this is a hot topic.

It’s the same energy I’m seeing in the sea of strong opinions, aka social media, about the Airbnb rebrand. (screenshots also below)

There are a lot of “More Designers Should Be Founders” posts which Brian Chesky is the poster boy for. And yeah the new skeuomorphic direction is fun. But the real question is: who is benefitting from this?

Some people love it so much so they’re already trying to recreate it. Others aren’t impressed, calling it retro Mac vibes. (I always loved that little Newsstand icon. RIP.)

But the feedback coming from users say the new layout confused them and takes longer to book a place to stay. Why? They’re being pushed toward the new favorite child, Airbnb Experiences.

And that’s a real problem.

It shows Brian Chesky is trying to be the voice for the future of design and using his company to bring it to life. Which makes sense for a design-led brand. Buuuut, success depends not just on taste but on how well the storytelling aligns with what people need.

Which brings me back to the case study thing.

I was following the structure I thought looked professional:
Clean layouts, before & afters, outcomes, a few captions.
But they weren’t clicking with the people I actually wanted to work with.

A hiring manager might want to see process and decisions.
But what happens when you’re trying to collab with CPG brands, SaaS companies, or agencies?

They want real-world context. Packaging on shelves. A social post that actually ran. Lifestyle photos or motion.

It’s totally about how they’ll use it.

Templates are fine. So are tutorials. But really, you have to ask:
Who is this really for and does it work for them?

Otherwise, you’re just making pretty things that NO ONE asked for.

And that’s humbling.

Marketing designs in different categories. This week: clear and bold web designs

Ah, intentional communication on websites designed beautifully. But not just that, they’re designed to be understood and engaged with. The interactions are an important part to what makes good copy even more memorable. Cheers to making the point fast.

(My gif from last week didn’t show up on everyone’s screen, so go here to see that email) 🥲

Case studies developed on Framer, sooo many revisions to what I wanted on here. Based on who I’m sending it to, I scaled way back on text but made sure the designs and examples were solid. It makes the reduced text extra important, so I made it stick to the top for each section with overlapping images so the references are clear.

Other projects I’m working on:

• landing pages galore

• new business cards ordered!

• + custom illustrated cards for snail mail

• tinkering with how to display my motion and illustration work for marketing designs

Hire me for brand, web or marketing design - and I have limited spots each month for a design retainers!

If your brand feels like it needs more creative breathing room so you open up more opportunities for yourself, hit reply and let’s chat or go to my page and see more.