7GRID · Brand & UI/UX Designer
Transforming 7GRID: A Brand Overhaul for a Digital Agency Ready to Level Up
7GRID was a small digital agency helping local businesses get a foothold in the web. When their original site no longer reflected their growing capabilities, they needed more than a refresh — they needed a bold new visual identity, a website experience that could compete, and a social media presence worth following.
Note: 7GRID is no longer an operating business, as the owners have since moved on to different pursuits. This case study remains a showcase of the work delivered and the results achieved during the agency's active period.
Timeline
October - December 2020
Responsibilities
UX Design, UI Design, Branding & Logo Design, Social Media Design, Stakeholder Research, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Content Design, Client Handoff
3x
More Monthly Contracts Won
300%
Increase in Instagram Engagement
3
Pages Redesigned
100%
Task Completion in Testing
01 · Challenge
A digital agency whose digital presence didn't match its talent.
Brand Problem
7GRID's original website was built to centralize basic company information when the team first launched. As the agency grew and its services evolved, the site no longer reflected its expertise, personality, or ambitions — creating a credibility gap with potential clients.
Competitive Problem
In the web design industry, your own website is your most important portfolio piece. 7GRID was competing with polished agencies — local and global — while their digital presence communicated early-stage, not established expertise.
Social Media Problem
7GRID's social media was uncohesive and stale. Sporadic posts, inconsistent visuals, and no clear voice meant the feed actively undermined the credibility the website was trying to build. For a digital agency, a neglected social presence was a contradiction prospects noticed immediately.
Client Reality
This was a real client with real business goals, not a hypothetical brief. Every design decision needed to be validated with the 7GRID team — which meant stakeholder management, expectation-setting, and presenting design rationale clearly to non-designer stakeholders.
7Grid's original website — generic branding and inconsistent visual styles undermined the company's credibility and expertise.
02 · Insights
What stakeholder interviews and market research revealed.
Aligning with the client first, then validating against the competitive landscape, ensured the redesign served real business goals.
Local agencies lacked visual ambition
Reviewing digital agencies in the Seattle area showed a sea of safe, similar designs. A bold, distinctive aesthetic — like the retro-futuristic dark scheme — would immediately differentiate 7GRID from local competitors.
Global agencies set the standard
Looking beyond local to leading global agencies raised the bar. They used sophisticated motion, clear service articulation, and confident visual hierarchies — patterns that informed 7GRID's feature roadmap.
Responsive design was non-negotiable
Potential clients would evaluate 7GRID on mobile as often as desktop. A site that broke on smaller screens would immediately undermine the agency's credibility as a web design authority.
Trust signals matter for service businesses
Usability research in service industries consistently shows that social proof — testimonials, case studies, clear service descriptions — drives inquiry. The redesign needed to surface these signals clearly.
Social was disconnected from the brand
Stale activity and random posts missed the opportunity to reinforce expertise and build a following. Stakeholders recognized the need for a consistent social presence that reinforces the new brand and expands its reach beyond the website.
Content relevance drives audience growth
Evaluating 7GRID's social presence alongside competitors revealed an opportunity to shift from promotional posts to a more engaging, value-driven brand story. Positioning 7GRID as an industry thought leader through educational and relevant content would attract new audiences and strengthen engagement beyond the website.
03 · Journey
From first client call to final handoff.
Click any card to explore the artifacts and decisions behind each phase.
Research
Stakeholder Interviews
Aligning with the 7GRID team on target market, brand keywords, business goals, and project scope before any design work began.
Research
Competitive Analysis & Feature Roadmap
Reviewing local Seattle agencies and global leaders to identify design patterns, trust signals, and differentiation opportunities.
Strategy
Site Map
Prioritizing features from a customer perspective, then mapping the simplest site architecture that met all user and stakeholder needs.
Design
Mood Board & Brand Direction
Presenting the client with two distinct direction options — and helping them choose the one that would make them unforgettable.
Design
Logo Design & Brand Identity
Building the brand system and the pixel-inspired logomark from the inherent geometry of "7G".
Design
Wireframes to High-Fidelity
Progressive fidelity from paper sketches through mid-fi client review to fully realized high-fidelity screens.
Validation
Usability Testing & Client Handoff
Testing sessions with a realistic task scenario — then a clean handoff package to the 7GRID team.
Implementation
Social Media Brand Application
Extending the new identity to 7GRID's social channels — cohesive templates, post styles, and a content rhythm that matched the retro-futuristic aesthetic.
04 · Solution
A digital presence built to win clients.
The redesigned 7GRID website and brand identity positions the agency as the distinctive, forward-thinking choice in a competitive market.
Brand Identity
A retro-futuristic identity as memorable as the name.
The updated 7GRID brand system expresses the agency's technical expertise and aesthetic confidence. The polished, yet exciting interface finally feels like a company you'd want to hire to make your brand stand out.
A distinctive brand identity is the first trust signal for a design agency. If your own site doesn't impress, why would clients trust you with theirs?
Website Redesign
Fully responsive pages that convert visitors into inquiries.
The Home, About, Services, and Contact pages were redesigned with a clear information hierarchy: established credibility, communicate expertise, and make taking the next step effortless. Responsive layouts ensure the experience is equally strong on mobile, where many client evaluations now begin.
A website that works on every device, tells a clear story, and builds trust through every scroll — the baseline for any digital agency's presence.
Social Media
A cohesive social presence that reinforced the brand.
The new brand identity was extended to 7GRID's social media channels through cohesive post templates, consistent visual language, and a content rhythm that matched the retro-futuristic aesthetic.
The previously stale and disconnected feed became a deliberate extension of the brand — every post reinforcing the same identity visitors would encounter on their website.
05 · Impact
A rebrand built for results.
The brand overhaul, responsive website, and cohesive social presence translated directly into audience growth and new contracts.
300%
Increase in Instagram engagement
3x
More monthly contracts won
3
Pages fully redesigned
100%
Task completion in testing
Delivered Outcomes
Fully redesigned Home, About, Services, and Contact pages — responsive across all device sizes
A complete brand package: pixel-inspired logomark, dark color palette, and intentional typography
Cohesive Instagram templates and a reusable Canva system the team could maintain in-house
A clean handoff package delivered to the 7GRID team for implementation
Measured Business Impact
300%
Increase in Instagram engagement after implementing cohesive branding
3x
More monthly contracts won following the brand redesign
Improved brand recognition and consistency across all digital touchpoints
Stronger competitive positioning in the Seattle agency market
What This Design Enables
A distinctive identity that helps 7GRID stand out from the safe, similar Seattle agencies in its market
A website that builds credibility before the first sales call — the baseline trust signal for any design agency
A social presence that reinforces the brand and grows audience beyond the website
A sustainable brand system the team can maintain in-house without a designer on retainer
06 · Reflection
What my 7GRID season taught me.
Align Before Design
Stakeholder interviews came before any sketch or mood board — surfacing 7GRID's target market, brand keywords, and business goals first. Starting from the client's perspective meant every later decision served real objectives, not my own aesthetic preferences. Alignment is the cheapest investment with the highest return in a project.
A Brand Is Built At Every Touchpoint
A logo and website aren't a brand — they're one expression of it. 7GRID's inconsistent feed had been actively undermining the credibility the website was trying to build. Extending the new identity across channels turned their feed into a deliberate extension of the brand. The lesson: brand consistency isn't just visual — it's what builds recognition and trust across every touchpoint.
Don't Polish What Isn't Proven
Getting mid-fidelity sign-off before high-fidelity was the discipline that kept the project on track. Validating information architecture and content with the client first meant the high-fidelity phase was about expression, not rework — and it protected the client's timeline and budget.
Boldness As Strategy
Recommending the dark, retro-futuristic direction over the safer light scheme was a deliberate strategic call — not just an aesthetic preference. In a crowded market, safe design is expensive because it's forgettable. 7GRID needed to be remembered.
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