Branding identity and website design for a new job agency for remote contractors in the technology sector, specifically located in Northern Ireland. The brand had to showcase and celebrate Northern Ireland as a location, with a minimal yet friendly visual style, taking inspiration from Northern Irish street art as well as leading tech websites and landscape photos of the country’s beautiful places.
Final results
The initial homepage design. At this stage, the planned search functionality I had recommended was not implemented yet, so the Upload CV call to action was eventually chosen as the most important.
The final approved brand reference sheet, summarising the look and feel of the company. The logo was inspired by the shape of Northern Ireland as a country, and I used a simplified outline of the country’s shape to replace the dot in the “i” in “Aptitude” to strengthen the geographical link. The vibrant blue and teal colours were chosen both for their modern techiness and as a nod to the landscapes and sea that make up the outstanding natural beauty of Northern Ireland.
Following these approved initial designs, I also designed the job browser page (search functionality was not in the requirements for this first iteration) and the job details page.
Design process
I created a moodboard and look-and-feel mockups based on the client’s answers to exploratory questions, and did an initial proposal presentation where I explained my competitor analysis results, and my recommendations with rough ideas for the brand.
The “ripped paper” effect as a separator between site sections was created in response to the client’s requirement to incorporate some kind of reference to the street art scene. This is subtle but helps add a casual aspect to the otherwise fairly clean-cut design. The font choice of Poppins was also chosen with the goal to balance a minimal, clean aesthetic with friendliness and the more relaxed nature of working from home.
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