6 months
Brand Design, Sitemap, Wireframes, Visual Design
At the start of the project, I was told of 2 other treatment centers (thehillscenter and themeadowglade) that the client currently ran.
I was also told that the client wanted the new facility to be named “My LA op”, which stood for “My Los Angeles Outpatient.”
Despite the lack of information, I was told to create the brand identity, sitemap, wireframes, and visual design for their new website as their physical facility was set to open by the end of 2021.
ANALYSIS OF PARTNER SITES
I analyzed thehillscenter.com and themeadowglade.com to see what services they offered. They offered treatment in the 3 following categories:
MENTAL HEALTH
EATING DISORDERS
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Each of the categories has its own subcategories. I did not know what services the new facility would offer, so as placeholder content, I would use the content that I found on the existing websites on the sitemap.
From my observations, I learned that these counseling centers put heavy emphasis on “Verify Insurance” and “Schedule a Visit”.
I also took a look at the logo to see common similarities. I noticed that they both incorporated some sort of wave inside the logo. I use this information during logo ideation.
MOOD BOARD
LOGO
I first started with the logo for the facility. I explored various concepts:
1. Ball of tangled yarn – mind unraveling and being made to sense with the help of therapists
2. Nature (leaf, mountains, waves) – calming the mind and soul.
3. Wordmark logo – using only “My LA op”
COLOR
I offer the client the following 3 color palettes.
TYPOGRAPHY
I decided to go with Poppins as I believed that a sans serif font would match the more modern looking site.
I learn that the name of the new facility will be called "LAOP Center" and that the client wants the acronym "LAOP" to be part of the logo.
I go back to the drawing board.
NEW LOGO SKETCHES
COLOR & VISUAL DESIGN
SITEMAP
Potential clients will have the ability to learn more about the 3 overarching categories (mental health, eating disorders, and substance abuse) and the treatments that LAOP Center offers through the home page. All the other pages would be accessible via a hamburger menu.
As my very first “real” project, I learned a lot about the entire process that goes into the creation of working product.
For next steps, I would focus more on the user experience by conducting user research on potential customers to gather insights on whether or not the design and information architecture easily allows them to find information on the services that they're interested in. I would also love to see the conversion rate compared to the other 2 facilities to see what I did right vs. what I could do better.
You can view the website via laopcenter.com.