My design process typically follows the design thinking phases and includes an in-depth “discovery” period where I empathize with user needs and contexts through researching a particular problem space. Given this project was with a client who had a pre-existing brand and organizational structure, this research period centered on learning more about the organization and coordinating with the client to ensure brand alignment.

 

We met several times to discuss the history of the theatre company, precedent theatre company websites, the organizational brand values, and style guidelines. We decided upon the following brand values: transformative, inspiring, and sleek.

 

The clients Al and Susan both gravitated toward a dark color scheme, highlighting Steppenwolf's (a theatre company based in Chicago) and State Theatre’s (based in Austria) sites as particularly strong references. I also found this dark color scheme helped with BTPA’s production images as they ranged greatly in quality, but looked visually stronger against a dark background.

 

The color palette consists of a vibrant pink as the primary color, complemented by black and white tones, and various shades of gray serving as neutrals. This palette is consistently applied throughout the site’s interface elements, including buttons and text fields, to maintain aesthetic coherence and enhance usability.