Client: Arwin Ventures

Designing a website and brand story for a boutique travel agency

Created a premium yet approachable site that elevated brand storytelling, built trust, and reduced friction in the client onboarding journey.

My Role

  • Identified pain points in the original site (confusing navigation, lack of storytelling, unclear CTAs).

  • Created annotated wireframes to define layout, hierarchy, and user flows.

  • Designed clean, scannable layouts with editorial polish.

  • Customized backend templates, configured navigation, and optimized responsive behavior.

  • Wrote clear, conversational intake form copy and CTAs that reduced friction and built trust.

  • Crafted brand messaging and a founder bio that reinforced credibility and humanized the business.

  • Extended the visual identity beyond a logo with typography, color palette, imagery, and iconography.

  • Selected aspirational photography and designed icons to reinforce the brand’s friendly, high-touch service.

Pictured above are header, benefits and services modules from the new homepage.

Overview

Arwin Ventures’ founder needed a dedicated travel website that clearly communicated her brand story, built trust and credibility and guided potential customers to take action—no matter where they were in their planning journey. As a former PR professional, the old site blended her travel and PR services in a way that felt unclear, with minimal storytelling, confusing navigation, and no clear calls to action.

Wireframes to Squarespace: translating strategy into execution

I created wireframes to define layout, navigation, and user flow before moving into high-fidelity design. This allowed us to validate structure and content hierarchy early. Once approved, I customized the Squarespace backend—configuring templates, adjusting navigation, and refining responsive behavior to match the wireframes and design system.

Building trust through industry partnerships

To establish credibility, I highlighted Arwin’s partnership with Virtuoso, one of the world’s most respected travel networks, and clearly explained how this directly benefits clients. I paired the copy with elegant yet friendly icons that reflected the brand’s personalized service—making value points feel quick, accessible, and inviting.

The Benefits module reinforces credibility through clear messaging, scannable icons, and a strong CTA, while guiding users toward booking.

Designing a Services section that feels clear, inviting, and accessible for all budgets

The Services section was redesigned to provide a clear, high-level overview of Arwin’s capabilities. Visually distinct blocks made the content easy to scan, balancing the practical necessities of travel with the more inspiring, aspirational aspects. Each service was paired with imagery that felt premium yet accessible, ensuring clients with smaller budgets didn’t feel excluded. A clean layout, generous negative space, and concise, benefit-driven descriptions reinforced the brand’s friendly tone while maintaining an elevated, editorial look.

The Services section keeps the content digestible while visually reinforcing Arwin’s high-touch, bespoke positioning.

Transforming a career pivot into a brand asset

I worked closely with the founder to craft a bio that built her credibility in the travel space by drawing on her successful career in film PR. The narrative positioned her background as a strength without overshadowing her new role as a travel advisor—humanizing the brand and reinforcing trust.

The About section uses concise copy and first-person narration to serve as a friendly, personal introduction..

The intake form uses a conversational tone to reduce pressure on users who don’t have all the details.

Reducing friction with a conversational intake form

The intake form was intentionally kept short and structured to reduce cognitive load. Friendly, human microcopy like “What type of vibe are you going for?” helped set the tone, making the process feel like a conversation instead of a transaction. The form’s progression, moving from general details to specific preferences, mirrored how an advisor would talk to a client in real life.

Creating flexible contact paths to meet users where they are

Clear CTAs like “Book a Trip” guided confident users straight to the intake form, while softer prompts such as “Contact” and “Help” provided a low-commitment option for those new to working with an advisor or seeking general information. This dual-path approach ensured no user felt excluded, regardless of their comfort level. Inviting phrases like “Let’s Get Started” reinforced collaboration, while the conversational tone built trust and reduced friction at key decision points.

Results: a site that builds confidence and drives action

The redesigned site gave Arwin Ventures a polished digital presence that clearly communicates its story and value. The streamlined navigation and conversational intake form reduced friction for new clients, while stronger branding and visuals positioned the company as trustworthy and aspirational.

  • The founder reported feeling more confident presenting her services to prospective clients.

  • Visitors now encounter a clear narrative, from industry credibility to personalized services.

  • The site guides users smoothly toward action—whether reaching out with questions, exploring services, or booking a trip.

By combining UX strategy, editorial storytelling, and visual design, the site not only elevated Arwin Ventures’ brand but also created a user experience that reflects its core promise: personalized, high-touch travel planning.

Future Considerations

The redesigned site gave Arwin Ventures a polished digital presence that clearly communicates its story and value. The streamlined navigation and conversational intake form reduced friction for new clients, while stronger branding and visuals positioned the company as trustworthy and aspirational.

  • The founder reported feeling more confident presenting her services to prospective clients.

  • Visitors now encounter a clear narrative, from industry credibility to personalized services.

  • The site guides users smoothly toward action—whether reaching out with questions, exploring services, or booking a trip.

By combining UX strategy, editorial storytelling, and visual design, the site not only elevated Arwin Ventures’ brand but also created a user experience that reflects its core promise: personalized, high-touch travel planning.

Expanding the brand beyond the logo

The client came to me with only a logo and no brand guidelines. I crafted a high-level visual identity to guide typography, color, and photography across the site.

Typography

Orpheus Pro for display + Freight Sans for body text, balancing elegance with clarity.

Color Palette

Neutral tones with muted accents for a soft, sophisticated look.

Visual content

Immersive photography that inspired users to picture themselves in the destinations, paired with elegant, playful icons used sparingly.


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Northeast Architectural [t] Website [/t] [c]UX, Branding[/c]