User research & profiles
Composite user personas were created based on competitor analyses and user interviews.
Project:
Sky Parlor
Web and native app design for North Carolina artists and artistry
Sky Parlor
Sky Parlor is a marketplace app featuring the work of traditional and contemporary artists, artisans, and makers living and working in North Carolina, United States.
The problem
North Carolina is home to a number of thriving art communities, retreat centers, and schools. Yet no modern, well-curated app is available to showcase, share, promote, and support NC artists' work.
The objective
To offer a well-curated online source for North Carolina art and craft in order to support North Carolina artists and attract further arts-related tourism to the state.
My roles
End-to-end product design
Branding
Competitor research
User testing
User interviews
Duration
June-July 2021
Wireframing
I started with a quick round of sketches, which I developed into mid-fi wireframes and a corresponding prototype for user testing.
Skills & methods
Competitor analysis
Preference testing
User interviews
Betty, 37, writer
Engaged
VA, USA
“I spend summers in Asheville, NC, and would love to share its art scene with others.”
Derek, 32, artist
Married
NC, USA
“As a North Carolina-based artist, I often have trouble getting my work out to a wide enough audience.”
Liz, 42, consultant
Single
NYC, NY, USA
“I’m always looking for unique regional art and craft to use and enjoy in my home.”
Branding & style guide
Sky Parlor’s styles reflect its guiding principles, blending the classic and the modern, the ornate and the minimal, the functional and the ornamental.
Skills & methods
Color theory
Typography design
Logo design
Logo
The Sky Parlor brand logo needed to strike a balance between minimalism and folksiness. In my first iteration of the design, I combined a classic typeface with a simple circle in a modern gradient suggesting the sun setting over the North Carolina mountains.
I then refined the logo to reinforce the North Carolina branding more emphatically by turning the "sun" into an outline of the state of North Carolina with the same sunset gradient. Preference testing indicated that most users found this version both easier to understand and more visually appealing.
Color
#0F0A39
#FC4A1A
#F7B733
#F8F8F8
#FFFFFF
#030303
Typography
Brand: Vollkorn Italic
Header: Nunito Sans Regular
Body: Nunito Sans Regular
Caption: Vollkorn Italic
Link: Nunito Sans Regular
UI ELEMENTS
Final design
Sky Parlor's final design offers users the opportunity to share, explore, discover, and purchase
art and artisanal goods from North Carolina in a single streamlined, usable, elegant
app.
Its design is available as both a native mobile app and a responsive web
application.
Features
Account & profile
Login
Shopping cart
Secure checkout
Favorites
Contacts
Help & support
