Refinery 29 Brand Extension
Refinery29 is an online digital media company for women that searches for ways to connect to women with relevant issues through articles, illustrations, photography and branded content. For this brand extension, I created illustration solutions, brand-messaging, and interactive elements to implement a new SPORTS section for users to have more direction when visiting Refinery29’s website.
Follow this link to view the interactive quiz
As I was exploring their website, I noticed that their brand could be pushed further in creating more detailed sub-sections, as their Wellness category encompasses so much. For example, this category covers Sports, Feminine Care, Fitness & Diet/Nutrition. I focused on extending the Sports subsection into its own stand-alone category that users could click on from the main navigation.
I began with creating a brand guide that utilized elements from Refinery29’s existing brand & new elements that differentiate the new section from their existing section categories by implementing new secondary colors for each of the outputs I developed.
Through the use of photo-illustration, illustrations and branded photo collages, R29 highlights their content and encompasses their trendy, bold style. I used this mood-board of existing R29 solutions to guide my design process and illustrative development.
PROCESS
FITNESS DIARIES
On Refinery’s existing site, one of their top hitting features is their Money Diaries, where they follow a millennial working woman through her day-to-day life.
In order to push the new Sports section further, I created a hypothetical Athlete Diaries using custom illustration that would follow successful female athletes through their fitness routines, food habits and day to day lives.
INSPIRING WOMEN THROUGH VISUALS
This photo-illustration style follows the colorful and playful styles featured on Refinery29’s existing website. The patterns used help to create visual flow through the movements of the athletes.
By cutting out the extraneous detail from the background and following their movement through line and pattern, these powerful females’ accomplishments shine through the photo.
INTERACTION DRIVEN CONTENT
Users answer questions about their workout habits to receive a personalized recommendation on workout apparel to purchase at the end of the quiz. This drives engagement with the platform and ad revenue for R29.
Use the prototype link to see the other three.