Sarah Jean is a creative team of one that imparts advice, strategizes and organizes, crafts cohesive identities, creates functional and beautiful interfaces, and designs impact for your business or project. I'm currently accepting new projects, so get in touch if you like what you see. I'm unable to take on new projects at this time.
I first worked with HouseFix.com to improve the design and usability of their landing pages, and incorporate dynamically generated content for SEM. The existing landing pages were drab blocks of text with no clear message or call to action. We refined the pages to clearly and simply outline the benefits of the service, and created illustrations and imagery that fit the existing brand, but also added more depth and color. The designs also permitted dynamically generated content, and the published pages featured improved code, optimized for SEO. Hover over an image for details.
Later, I worked with HouseFix to revise the user experience for the second and third versions of the web application. The third version re-imagined the application from the ground up, using a more card-focused approach to the content to make it device-independent. I contributed to the planning, design, and front-end development of the user interface.
These designs comprise the UI concept for a personal project I have been undertaking in my free time. In addition to the UI, I have also developed an extensive site and database architecture and begun writing code and entering data. The concept is a community-driven recipe website that focuses on inspirational food photography, but structures the data in such a way that menu, meal-planning, and ingredient/shopping lists can easily be created. Similar sites already exist, but none offer the robust features of this website for free. I plan to release this website as open source software and let the community contribute and develop it further. Hover over an image for details.
This ongoing campaign for the Multnomah County Health Department is aimed at raising awareness about flavored tobacco products, and how they are marketed to children. I have produced a series of posters for the county, as well as small, pocket-sized gate-fold hand-outs for kids, fact sheets for professionals, and large format ads that appeared at the Lloyd Center Mall and at various Trimet bus shelters and benches. Hover over an image for details.
The campaign was re-branded and re-developed from the original Providence, Rhode Island campaign of the same name. I reworked the logo and changed the look and feel of the campaign to be less cute and disingenuous, taking a tone that was more like a warning than a metaphor for deceit. The campaign has been a success so far, and has been mentioned in three local news outlets, including this Channel 8 News clip.
I completed the logo design, branding materials, came up with eco-friendly (entirely biodegradable) and cost-effective packaging, and designed, developed, and currently maintain the fully responsive website for this specialty pet food brand.
I worked with Social Media Consultant Caleb Mezzy to produce unique branding materials and a WordPress powered blog and business website. The bold, symbolic logo combines aspects of sports, social media, and Caleb's initials, "CM". The business card features spot varnishing to stand out. Caleb was so pleased with his new, fully responsive and easy to maintain website that he asked me to put together an info-graphic styled pdf brochure to present to his leads.
Fallene, Inc. came to me looking to build an easily maintainable catalog website for their TiZO® brand of skincare products. We built on their established branding and aesthetics to create a custom, responsive WordPress website that features large photography and focuses on beauty, lifestyle, and protection. I built a ratings system and created custom post types for their product catalog, as well as a completely custom theme for the site. I also edited the product photography for the website. Hover over an image for details.
Local Portland rock band Violent Psalms needed an identity, merchandizing, and a website. We worked together to come up with a look that reflects their sound and aesthetic. Distressed, hand-drawn type forms the basis of the identity; a mix of illustration and cold, longing photography rounds it out. Materials produced include the logo, t-shirt, buttons, single cover art, album artwork, various social media images, various show flyers, and the website. The website features fixed-background images on a single, long-scrolling page to create a more interactive experience, which can't really be captured in the screenshots below. This project is ongoing; I'll be adding additional materials as they become available. Hover over an image for details.
An excelent example of one of the many small business websites I've designed and developed over the past decade. SCP's website was originally designed in 2008, and I feel it still holds up pretty well and hasn't been too dated. It was originally developed on Drupal, but it has since been migrated to WordPress as Drupal is often too complex and bloated for a simple small business website. Hover over an image for details.
Other small business websites I've designed and developed include Charniak Insurance, Spencer Industries, Growth Horizons, and MBS Fabrication.
I had the privilege of contributing for nearly 5 years to EmpireCovers.com. When I began, there were three of us and one website; by the time I left, I was the senior designer, a project manager for the design and development team, and the web properties had grown to include three new retail sites. I was integral in all aspects of the user experience, from the first landing page, to the shipping and packaging design, to the returns process. It is difficult to show or summarize the breadth of work I produced in my time at Empire, but below is a small sample including some web and print work. Hover over an image for details.
Of all the many projects and improvements undertaken in my time at Empire, I am most proud of EmpirePatioCovers.com. I designed every aspect of this website, including the underlying catalog and application structure and creative direction and editing for all product photography. Since my departure in 2012, the web properties for Empire have undergone many changes, so the screencaps here (and not the live websites) reflect my contributions to the sites.
I offer web design, front-end web development, identity, print, and design consulting services for small businesses and individuals. I'm currently accepting new clients, and interested in long-term web projects.
I work with you to find the best solution for your goals, whether you are looking for a complex user experience or some business cards. I endeavor to provide you with thoughtful and functional designs that are unique and effective.
My role is as a collaborative partner in your business' communication strategy. Unhindered dialogue between myself and your business is essential to produce a final product that looks great and acheives your marketing goals.
Since each project is custom and unique, the process varies greatly from one client to another. Generally, it begins with you contacting me with a brief overview of your project, and then we communicate until I have enough details to put together a proposal and estimate. This initial service is gratis, so feel free to inquire about your project.
Once a proposal and contract are agreed upon, the work begins, and you'll be part of the process every step of the way. I make sure that you're satisfied with each stage before moving to the next, so that when we reach the end of the road there are no surprises and your project has developed just as you had hoped.
Contact me today to see how I can help you build your vision.
I'm Sarah Jean. I live in Portland, Oregon. I have a BFA in studio art and design, and over 15 years of real-world experience with web design and front end development. Are you looking for my resume?
I can't stop making things. Chances are that right now, I'm sketching, designing, writing, coding, cooking, editing, testing, or photographing. I admire beautiful typography. I value simplicity, honesty, and longevity in design. Purpose-driven design decisions create precision and acheive your vision.
I love to cook and to entertain guests. I can't get enough of the Cascades and high desert, and really enjoy taking wildlife and landscape snapshots. When I'm not being sedulous at my computer or in the kitchen, I'm probably reading The Lord of the Rings or watching Star Trek. I'm bad at dancing. I look like this:
