web design, design system
MADesign websites
Melanie Abrantes is a woodworker, designer, business owner, and creator of Mel’s Carving Club. Her business is growing and her sites are out of date.
THE BRIEF
Website Strategy for a growing brand
Melanie Abrantes wants a website that reflects the maturity and growth of her business.
Melanie needed a new website and branding strategy as her business outgrew the scope of her existing site. She came to me seeking clarity on how to better address her target audience with a more focused, effective website.
I worked closely with her to understand her audience’s needs, values, and expectations, ensuring the new website strategy aligns with what her customers truly want.
Through exercises and analysis, we discovered that her brand lines catered to two very distinct audiences, each with different expectations and needs, while her personal brand had a separate audience altogether.
Based on this, I designed three distinct yet connected websites, each with its own purpose and target audience.
WHERE IT STARTED- THE AUDIT
It takes too much effort for visitors to find what they are looking for
Lack of hierarchy, accessibility, and abundant redundancies.
The existing site showed everyone everything Melanie had worked on in the last 11 years in business. It acted more as a portfolio showcasing her work, rather than what it was, a thriving business with multiple brand lines.
Melanie’s business had grown and changed in 11 years, her website strategy needed to as well.
DEFINING THE USERS, THE BRAND, THE OBJECTIVES
Serving the Right Audiences and Separating Services
Separating her business into three focused brand lines clarifies its purpose and improves the experience for each audience.
Melanie’s original website was trying to do too much, combining her personal brand, product sales, and subscription community in one place.
The Objective - To deliver a simplified & branded web experience for Melanie Abrante’s customers, that allows them to reach their goals - to join Mel’s carving club, join in on an event, buy Mel’s products, buy wholesale, collaborate, and more.
SITE IMPROVEMENTS
Cleaner Layouts, Clearer Paths
Introducing Bottom Navigation and Simplifying the Information Architecture for Better Usability
Melanie’s existing site lacked bottom navigation, causing cluttered top navigation options that overwhelmed visitors and hindered effective navigation. By adding bottom navigation and streamlining the information architecture, the site now offers a cleaner layout and more intuitive user experience