EHNW

Refreshed brand and ux design for a Portland based nonprofit - a transformation of their web presence and an elevation of not only their value, but the value of their mission.

Within the realm of existential psychotherapy, EHNW has situated itself as an organization that operates as a premier ambassador for the existential humanistic therapeutic practice. Over the last decade, they’ve worked to platform their practice by offering expert perspective, trainings, and workshops with international audiences. Starting conversations and bringing philosophy to ever-broadening communities.

For this project, I defined the user experience strategy and approach. After conducting an extensive audit of EHNW’s former site and supportive materials, I crafted a new design framework and information architecture by leveraging insights from comprehensive research and facilitating interest holder focus groups.

In collaboration with our brand team, I lead the creative strategy behind the brand refresh and leveraged those assets to deliver a modernized interface design within an uncomplicated system to improve site experiences. Visually and practically.

The Challenge

Modernize branding, decomplicate user experiences, and streamline UI design systems for a local organization committed to untangling complicated problems and bettering the human experience. All while ensuring a reduced maintenance lift for board members.

The Users

  • Visitors

    New and organic site traffic. Pipelined from socials. Quick to disengage in response to EHNW’s antiquated site design and obfuscating information architecture.

    Unlikely to convert to Affiliate status while EHNW struggles to reach them.

  • Affiliates

    Current mental health care professionals who are a part of the EHNW community.

    Vocal contributors to EHNW’s blog, “community voices”, and frequent attendees of EHNW hosted events, workshops, and seminars.

  • Board Members

    The team behind EHNW’s mission. Crafters of org infrastructure, programming, and messaging.

    Mental healthcare professionals with a passion for the existential humanistic philosophy.

The Approach

Coordinate with EHNW’s board to understand the primary pain points arising from site maintenance: where the misses are and what’s behind the breakdowns. Address pain points at their source and connect users to EHNW’s resources.

Track down multiple interest holders with varied perspectives and craft visual messaging for a nuanced therapeutic modality. Offer them a site that is usable and authentically communicates a trustworthy narrative - hosted within a CMS that is easy to update, but not at the cost of unique brand expression.

Below I have highlighted the original site and my IA and wireframing process up to mid fidelity deliverables.

The Design Direction

As Creative Strategist, I worked alongside the design team to ensure that their creative concepts aligned with EHNW’s mission. Throughout the design process, my strategic perspective facilitated the delivery of refreshed brand assets that embody EHNW’s values and their work’s connection to the pacific northwest.

Inspired by EHNW’s embodiment of interconnectivity and inclusivity - core values of the org - we chose to leverage simple geometry to highlight points of connection between clients and therapeutic interventions. Our base font, Inter, emphasizes simplicity and legibility in lengthy bodies of text while The Seasons offers elegance and refinement across site headings. 

At the center of our color palette we balance a deep green with a light and warm background, associated with growth and healing. Nodding to the values of EHNW while bringing grounding colors that invoke the PNW. A split of soft and cool - earth and neutral tones - creates visual diversity throughout the site.

A modernized UI brings EHNW’s most impactful work to the forefront of the site. Streamlined IA takes the onus of discerning the value of content off of the user and simplifies event and affiliate registration, offering a human-focused experience. Affiliate-exclusive navigation anchors users in the EHNW community with a touch of exclusivity that carves out a space to invite others into.  

The Result

An overhauled website and modernized brand identity that highlights the key offerings of EHNW while anchoring them in the org’s unique mission and vision and demands less of the org responsible for maintaining it.

For an organization that seeks to bring their values and practice to an increasingly expansive global audience, our redesign elevates their message above barriers imposed by complexity without compromising depth.