My top 3 priorities while designing for transhealthNC

I’ve finally started the actual branding and identity design for transhealthNC *~ hooraaaay ~*! This is kind of a nerve-racking moment for me. This project is my baby, something that’s meant so much for so long, and now I’m putting a face on it. It’s definitely something I don’t want to get wrong! To make matters even more difficult it’s an expedited process. I need to get the identity finished quickly so I can build a landing page and promotional materials to send out requesting healthcare recommendations. What’s wild is that the identity has already shifted so much from my original vision. Check this out below for a glimpse into my workflow..

Believe it or not this is actually AFTER several rounds of sketches and revisions. Here are my priorities in my design process for this project:

1. The design has to inspire confidence.
   Transitioning can be a really scary experience for trans people. Those coming to this site looking for healthcare are likely to be nervous and may even be taking their very first steps toward a medical transition looking for mental health or hormonal care. Because of this, the site needs to be reassuring and celebratory. Our stories are exciting and liberating! They’re not horror stories, or something to be scared of. I want my users to feel confident and excited about their future, not scared and uncertain.
2. The design has to be clear and concise.
   There’s no room for miscommunication here. I want this entire web application to be extremely clear and transparent in exactly what it is and how it’s used. There are a whole host of barriers to access to information. One of them is miscommunication and misunderstanding of resources. This is in large part why I chose the name transhealthNC, because it’s about trans health in NC. See how simple that is? I don’t want anyone to miss out on much needed resources for any reason.
3. The design has to be flexible.
   This application lives on the web, and the web is an extremely flexible and constantly changing platform. Whether it’s on a laptop, pc, tablet, or mobile phone, the design needs to be able to adapt gracefully and effectively. Besides browser sizes it needs to work on the scale of favicons and icons on other supporting websites. The design also needs to be able to work in print as cards, flyers, stickers, and other printed materials. All of these need to fit the identity and transition the experience smoothly between digital resource and real world user acquisition.

Thank you for reading! Follow me to stay updated on this project’s process. I’m really excited about its launch in a couple months and I hope you’ll visit!