REAP.HER
REAP.HER
Role
Role
Product Conceptualizer, UI/UX Designer
Product Conceptualizer, UI/UX Designer
Tools
Tools
Figma, Adobe Suite
Figma, Adobe Suite
Skills
Skills
Wireframing, interaction design, typography and color systems, media layout systems
Wireframing, interaction design, typography and color systems, media layout systems
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
REAP.HER is a speculative wellness publication and editorial platform I conceived and designed for Visual Frontiers at Stanford. Over the course of one academic quarter, I independently developed the brand identity, visual system, and full UI.
REAP.HER is a speculative wellness publication and editorial platform I conceived and designed for Visual Frontiers at Stanford. Over the course of one academic quarter, I independently developed the brand identity, visual system, and full UI.
PROBLEM SPACE
Wellness media has a consumption problem. Women are targeted more as consumers than they are users.
Magazines that dominate the lifestyle space treat wellness content as a vertical for profit. Readers are left fatigued by trend-driven narratives, and feeling like spending is intrinsic to improvement.
PROBLEM SPACE
Wellness media has a consumption problem. Women are targeted more as consumers than they are users.
Wellness media has a consumption problem. Women are targeted more as consumers than they are users.
Magazines that dominate the lifestyle space treat wellness as a vertical for product lists, luxury recommendations, and mercurial standards. Most addresses of wellbeing circle back to spending, with readers are left fatigued by trend-driven narratives, and no constructive information on how to better their lives without buying a new product.
Magazines that dominate the lifestyle space treat wellness content as a vertical for profit. Readers are left fatigued by trend-driven narratives, and feeling like spending is intrinsic to improvement.
Magazines that dominate the lifestyle space treat wellness content as a vertical for profit. Readers are left fatigued by trend-driven narratives, and feeling like spending is intrinsic to improvement.
FINDINGS
FINDINGS
Analyzing the current magazine market, I identified three actions a better publication would take.
Analyzing the current magazine market, I identified three actions a better publication would take.
Focus on reflective transformation.
Focus on reflective transformation.
Validate incremental improvement.
Validate incremental improvement.
Prioritize accessibility and applicability.
Prioritize accessibility.
Prioritize accessibility.
Considering a product with these distinctions, how do I design an accompanying platform that looks and feels different from competitors, and effectively communicates its values through branded visual language?
Considering a product with these distinctions, how do I design an accompanying platform that looks and feels different from competitors, and effectively communicates its values through branded visual language?
DIRECTION
DIRECTION
The REAP.HER visual identity draws from two references that appear opposed, but share a commitment to authenticity: the sensitivity of modern self-care, and the brash counterculture of rock and roll. One grounds the brand in genuine care for the reader. The other gives the brand its edge, embodying deviation from idealism.
The REAP.HER visual identity draws from two references that appear opposed, but share a commitment to authenticity: the sensitivity of modern self-care, and the brash counterculture of rock and roll. One grounds the brand in genuine care for the reader. The other gives the brand its edge, embodying deviation from idealism.
The result feels immediately distinct from the minimalist branding of comparable wellness sites. The brand is specific enough to communicate a redefinition of aspiration, yet clean enough to still feel intentional.
The result feels immediately distinct from the minimalist branding of comparable wellness sites. The brand is specific enough to communicate a redefinition of aspiration, yet clean enough to still feel intentional.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
Media content platforms are minimalist for a reason: they work, and it's become the default in part for its universality and readability. Designing something visually distinct meant accepting that risk, and finding a system specific enough to justify it. Answering the brand's core tension while managing content density taught me that distinction is a design constraint, and that every visual choice has to justify itself against both.
Media content platforms are minimalist for a reason: they work, and it's become the default in part for its universality and readability. Designing something visually distinct meant accepting that risk, and finding a system specific enough to justify it. Answering the brand's core tension while managing content density taught me that distinction is a design constraint, and that every visual choice has to justify itself against both.
+ NEXT STEPS
Content, baby, content.
Content, baby, content.
Existing wellness platforms bury demographic-specific advice under content that isn't relevant to individual readers. A filtering system that allows readers to surface articles by skin type, mental health goals, or cultural background would make REAP.HER's commitment to accessibility feel real.
Existing wellness platforms bury demographic-specific advice under content that isn't relevant to individual readers. A filtering system that allows readers to surface articles by skin type, mental health goals, or cultural background would make REAP.HER's commitment to accessibility feel real.
Who you are, and what you need.
Who you are, and what you need.
Intentional curation would make every visit to REAP.HER feel personal and purposeful. Individual readers access personalized homepages that surface articles based on stated preferences and what they've previously engaged with, where an intentional algorithm serves meaningful engagement.
Intentional curation would make every visit to REAP.HER feel personal and purposeful. Individual readers access personalized homepages that surface articles based on stated preferences and what they've previously engaged with, where an intentional algorithm serves meaningful engagement.
Publication to platform.
Publication to platform.
A community layer would allow readers respond to articles, share experiences, and connect over common wellness goals. Facilitating interaction through conversation and discourse would deepen REAP.HER, converting information readers consume into communities they contribute to.
A community layer would allow readers respond to articles, share experiences, and connect over common wellness goals. Facilitating interaction through conversation and discourse would deepen REAP.HER, converting information readers consume into communities they contribute to.