Monthly round up: design & marketing inspiration
As a Squarespace designer, I’m constantly stumbling on work from amazingly talented folks across various industries. That’s why I created my monthly round up - a curation of design and marketing work from amazingly talented folks across the internet.
With all that said, this article is a round up of marketing and design content I came across and found inspiring in the last month. My hope is this will leaving you feeling energized and inspired. Let’s dig in.
Design Inspiration 1: 3D Animation & Illustration from Cabeza Patata
I was blown away when I came across Cabeza Patata, a studio specializing in character design. The minute I saw the dancing character on the hero image of their website, I knew they had immense talent and I couldn’t wait to dig deeper. While all of their projects are incredible, the work they did for The New York Times has to be one of my favourites. It is diverse, inclusive, fun and the attention to detail (from eye glances to the texture of clothing) pulls you into the world they created.
This is some of the best 3D work I have seen. You can tell Cabeza Patata cares deeply about their craft and it shows in their work. 3D illustration is a huge trend in web design and I am delighted to see it in top form from such talented creatives. Moreover, I love that this studio focuses on diversity and female empowerment - I can’t wait to follow along and see more of their work.
Design Inspiration 2: The Everyone Jean from Everlane
Finally! Gender free jeans. It is about time! Why have I decided to list this here? Because design, whether it be web design, or product design, or clothing design is design. And for me, a unisex jean is pretty darn inspirational. Rather than using conventional sizing, Everlane has introduced an E1, E2, E3 and so on sizing grid. On designing the jean, Everlane states:
“It took five prototypes and more than 50 people to get the fit just right to create the Everyone size scale, which ranges from E1-E12”
For me the Everyone jean goes far beyond the actual design challenge and the jean itself. It is a testament to the times. Finally, we are seeing that clothing is for everyone.
It’s time to move away from gendered copy- goodbye “boyfriend fit.”
You don’t want to assume someone’s gender identity or sexuality, and it’s important for marketers and web designers to be mindful of that in web copy. For example, it is time to do away with describing clothing as “boyfriend fit.” In 2022, we can ditch language that is tied to the patriarchy and attempts to make a piece of comfortable clothing less “threatening” and more “cute” by describing it as “boyfriend fit.”
This is a great place to share a quote Shani Silver wrote stating:
“Claim comfortable clothes. Claim the structure you like, the fit you like, whatever it is that you like, it’s yours. You haven’t “borrowed” it from anyone, that was always an industry’s slight-of-hand to reiterate the vital necessity of maintaining femininity at all times.”
I’m thrilled by this move from Everlane, and hope this is a growing trend across fashion 👏
Design Inspiration 3: Snaxshot by Andrea Hernandez
Recently I stumbled upon Snaxshot, featuring curated content focused on the food and beverage space from Andrea Hernandez. It is some of the of the most interesting and creative content I’ve read in a long time. Even if you are not in the food and beverage space, her work is absolutely worth a read. Andrea's insights and unique perspective are so thoughtful and leave you thinking about marketing and design across all industries.
Recently I came across an article from Snaxshot, which expertly outlined the evolution of Web3 in the food and beverage space. I found it fascinating. One such example from the article is Leisure Project, a “hydration” product aimed at Gen Z. To me the most interesting part of Leisure Project was not so much the product itself and its claimed benefits (calm, balance and clarity), but the fact that you could mint your own “leisure creature” - an NFT that also appears to be a major part of the Leisure Project brand ethos. As we move towards a cookieless web I think we will continue to see NFTS used to increase brand engagement and drive loyalty.
Snaxshot discusses a number of emerging trends, tactics and up and coming brands. I definitely suggest checking out her work - it is full of amazing insights and perspectives that left me thinking and re-thinking about design, packaging, strategy, campaigns, colour theory, Web3, NFTs and the future of marketing.
Design Inspiration 4: Aimé Leon Dore
Full disclosure - I have long loved Aimé Leon Dore, a fashion brand based in Queens. As much as I appreciate the clothing, what initially drew me to the brand was their stunning photography and understated marketing direction. It is polished without being pretentious and cool without trying too hard. The reason I’m including this in my monthly roundup is because I love their unflinching dedication to their aesthetic.
Many a marketer would likely encourage a different website layout - one that focuses on optimization and pushes product above the fold. When was the last time you landed on a ecommerce website that wasn’t full of calls to action and “hurry only 3 left” notifications, urging you to put something in your cart? You won’t find any of that here.
To me, the website is an invitation to make a cup of tea and take your time scrolling through their products. Interestingly enough, most everything is sold out.
For Aimé Leon Dore, in both the products themselves and their web presence, the magic is in slowing down and taking it all in. Every touchpoint, from photography to marketing campaigns, is thoughtfully curated, unique, and a piece of art all on its own.
Of course, this approach won’t work for everyone, but for this brand it does, and in a world full of pop-ups and bids to buy, this website experience is a welcomed and refreshing one.
Design Inspiration 5: International Women’s Day Campaign from Mejuri
While IWD 2022 has come and gone, I still think this campaign is worthy of mention.
In 2022 there are really no excuses for failing when it comes to inclusive web design and marketing campaigns. From images and illustrations to web copy, there are a number of great resources to deliver a website that mirrors a diverse audience. When thinking about designing with empathy, it is crucial to have diversity and inclusion as a central focus.
For a great example of gender inclusive copy, Mejuri illustrated pronouns done right in their International Women’s day Campaign. I was thrilled to see this from Mejuri, and it is my hope this will become best practice across the industry. For a beginner’s guide on Inclusive Design, visit this article from Career Foundry.
Reflecting on the campaign, Tommy Dorfman in an article from Grazia states:
“It’s great for any other trans kid out there to see me in this campaign. Walking by a store, seeing my face, is hopefully helpful for people on some level.”
People want to be seen and reflected in the shows they watch, the content they consume, the websites they visit, and the brands they interact with. It is imperative that marketers and designers make every effort champion diversity and inclusion.
How can you create a diverse and inclusive website experience?
Make sure you use diverse photography. There are a lot of great options for diverse stock photos - two great sources are unsplash and pexles. For custom shoots, hire diverse models.
Use diverse illustrations. Blush by Pablo Stanley is a great source for diverse illustrations from incredibly talented artists.
Be mindful of gender inclusive language - consider assumptions of heterosexuality, pronouns, and what (e.g. webforms - do you really need someone’s gender?)
Hire diverse designers, developers, marketers, photographers, and copywriters. The reality is that tech is largely made up of straight, cisgender, white men. If you want to champion diversity in design, hire diverse designers.
That’s all for now. If you enjoyed it. See you soon with more inspirational design and marketing content.
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