HappyMenu | Jaime Ventura

DESIGNERS: 1 TIMELINE: 2 WEEKS PLATFORM: DESKTOP, MOBILE

TOOLS: PEN + PAPER, SKETCH, INVISION, GOOGLE FORMS, PHOTOSHOP, ATOM

BRIEF

HappyMenu was a mobile app designed by a classmate. I was asked to create a promotional landing page for the app and to code it as a functional website.

MY ROLE

As the sole designer I created mood boards and color palettes to go along with the theme that I chose for the web page. I strategically chose font styles and sizes to compliment all the imagery. Finally, I coded the webpage to match the specs that I had designed.

CHALLENGE

Applying all the visual design techniques I had learned to create not just a visual identity for the app but also a brand identity. Also learning front end developing and having to code the page within the same week.

Mood boards inspired by the HappyMenu brand.

The mood boards gave me an idea of what I wanted for the color palette for the website. With all those concepts in mind I started working on the layout. I chose two images that I felt communicated joy in dining, and I tried out dozens of fonts looking for the right font that would communicate my brand.

After testing the design I received feedback about some of my choices. The current logo for the app was too cartoonish and didn’t blend with the brand, the hero image didn’t match the color scheme and didn’t fully communicate the message I was trying to get across, and my unorthodox navigation bar needed to be redesigned.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

I went back and worked on the design keeping all the feedback in mind and was able to make some key changes that aligned my site with the brand I was creating. The logo changed in font and removed the cartoon plate, the navigation bar went to the top to make it easier for people to interact with something familiar, and the hero image changed. The new hero image more closely aligned with the color scheme but more importantly it communicated a feeling on inclusiveness. The previous image had the perspective of someone from the outside looking in but the new image was chosen specifically because the perspective was from someone in the table that was part of the group. I made many other changes to the layout. After testing it again, the reception was much more positive. I was able to learn front end coding and created my design using code.

SOLUTION

The HappyMenu promotional landing page was designed to convey a brand of trust, health, joy, and belonging.

PROCESS

The project began with a lot of thought as to what the HappyMenu brand was. The main function of the app was to allow people to browse for restaurants that cater to their specific dietary restrictions. But instead of focusing on what the app does or how it does it, I focused on the Why. I did some research with people that had dietary restrictions and found the Why. I learned that people with dietary restrictions don’t always feel included with their group of friends because they can’t go to all the same places as their friends and eat the same meals as their friends. I decided that the brand I needed to portray for HappyMenu was a feeling of inclusion and finding the joy of dining out that people with dietary restrictions might have lost. With this clear concept in mind I went to work on mood boards.