Ellie Brassé

Category: Updates

  • Australian Red Cross

    Australian Red Cross

    Project Overview

    The Red Cross refreshed its brand and needed a digital design that brings it to life. The resulting digital brand design, GEL, and website update were delivered over 18 months. 

    This comprehensive digital product design project was executed end-to-end, with the development handled on the client side. The project remains in progress, with a projected launch in August. 

    Impact & outcomes

    01

    Streamlined Content Management

    A structured CMS and GEL empower internal teams to create high-quality content. 

    02

    Enhanced User Experience

    Improved accessibility and clarity for users in crisis and donors alike. 

    03

    Improved Engagement

    Interactive elements and storytelling components foster deeper audience connection. 

    04

    Scalability & Future-Proofing

    The modular design system supports ongoing growth and adaptability. 

    05

    Stronger Brand Consistency

    Unified digital branding strengthens trust and recognition.

    Australian Red Cross website update - original home page design

    Brand Drivers that became our guardrails for the digital direction

    1. 2023 ARC Brand Traits that answer to photojournalism’s guiding principles
      • Emotional: Empathetic, Authentic, Warm
      • Rational: Confident, Credible, Neutral
      • Reaction: Make it Easy for People to Act, Walk the Talk
    2. Respecting the diverse needs of varied user groups. Addressing the unique needs of refugees in crisis, as well as philanthropists seeking to support the ARC’s mission. 
    3. A consistent and flexible system. Ensuring trust in the brand while accommodating the complexity of the organisation’s operations. 

    Designing for diverse audiences

    Our research has identified two primary user groups, each with distinct needs: 

    1. People seeking help: Often arriving on the site in distress, looking for immediate assistance following disasters or upon arrival in Australia. 
    2. People wishing to give help: Looking for validation and guidance on how best to support those in need. 

    To address these distinct needs, we developed a set of key pages that serve as a guide for content creators, ensuring a seamless and empathetic user experience. 

    Australian Red Cross website update page design examples
    Australian Red Cross UI component design examples

    Bringing the new brand to life

    Beyond strategy, our focus was on crafting a modern, vibrant digital brand. This involved: 

    • Integrating animations and dynamic elements such as parallax and horizontal scrolling. 
    • Expanding video content capabilities to enhance engagement and storytelling. 

    A New Component Suite

    This large-scale website update involved: 

    • Creating 36 new and updated UI components and collaborating with an external development team to implement them in Optimizely. 
    • Designing 70+ key pages and user journeys with a research-driven approach, including a new donations journey using expertise created in a distinct research project.
    • Introducing a ‘component spec sheet’ as a design reference to streamline communication between design and development teams. 
    • Working with digital developers LEVO to implement and roll out the new design across all components
    Australian Red Cross design system

    Design system in Action

    The Design System is available as both a Figma library file and a GEL website, ensuring accessibility for all Australian Red Cross staff. This resource: 

    • Educates teams on design principles and user experience best practices. 
    • Establishes a common language and detailed documentation for every component. 

    Encourages seamless collaboration between teams, improving content creation and consistency. 

  • OzHarvest

    OzHarvest

    Ozharvest web pages examples from Paper Moose

    A Major Update

    OzHarvest had not updated their website in 15 years, so this major update was a major challenge in many ways.

    Originally engaged as a freelancer for Paper Moose to spend 3 weeks on IA, I ended up seeing the project through to the end of the design stage, about 9 months later. The Mooses have written a lovely case study on the project.

    Content Sorting and new IA

    Our first priority was a new structure and hierarchy for the organisation’s many arms, making sense of what they do.

    Conducting several workshops around content, user journeys and personas, I collaborated with client teams to restructure and slim down 7 WordPress websites with 132 pages into 2 sites with 34 pages.

    OzHarvest site map and IA update
    Ozharvest wireframes - detail
    OzHarvest wireframes excerpt

    Wireframing

    Next, we mapped out how OzHarvest can most easily explain what they do in future. I had opportunity to inject my knowledge about experience design for the NGO sector, and to collaborate on the content design with the client’s comms team.

    I provided content design and detailed wireframes for all site pages.

    UI Design

    Paper Moose’s Divya Abe was the UI Design Lead on the project, while I passed on the client context and knowledge I had gained during the UX phase and acted as design consultant, helping find two on-brand design concepts.

    We then collaborated in creating final page designs across all breakpoints.

    Example detail of a UI page design for Ozharvest, for Paper Moose, with Divya Abe, 2021
  • CLV Homes for Students

    CLV Homes for Students

    Campus Living Villages (CLV) are global student accommodation specialists creating tailored student communities that suit the unique culture of each campus, University or city they work with. So, they came to us with a brief to develop a refreshed brand that allows them to reflect their incredible diversity while creating a unified experience.

    Screengrabs from user interviews for CLV

    Immersion

    We interviewed 44 students across 4 continents, benchmarked best practice in experience in the category, and involved stakeholders, students and subject matter experts in co-design workshops.

    Synthesis & Strategic UX

    Following the research, we created personas and user journeys for a variety of user groups, experience guardrails, and more.

    Journey mapping example for CLV
    Example Room Booking design for CLV

    Transforming CX with new Business Logic

    I undertook an extensive UX audit of the room booking processes in each region.

    In a collaborative process with the client, I updated the business logic for displaying and booking rooms, delivering on a best-in-class integrated user experience.

    Complete Set of Wires

    This project required us to deliver all content and full UX wires for every page.
    I first created a new IA, then moved on to on page content hierarchy and wireframes for copywriters and art directors, as well as instructions for image creators.

    Example of wireframes for CLV
    Example UI design for CLV

    UI Design

    Jackie-Lee Hughes from Deepend – who took the lead on the UI design – and myself rolled out the UI for all pages.

    Due to the nature of the project, this was quite extensive, with home pages for 3 global regions and hierarchy pages for cities, universities, villages and rooms throughout.

    View the site at campuslivingvillages.com