As soon as I met Ellen, I knew we had to find a way to translate her distinctly modern, clean aesthetic with a style that evoked the warm, personable, intentional person behind the brand. In our initial strategy session, she spoke less about her design style and more about the influence of her Scandinavian roots, her deep love of nature and original artwork, the importance of the perfect reading chair to rejuvenate the soul. Nystrom Design’s strong belief in embracing the context of what’s outside your walls in interior design and honoring significant elements from your past and story were pieces of her brand messaging that we knew we had to work hard to convey in both the copy and the design. Deb and I worked together relentlessly to continue to make her brand more cohesive with each step of the project.
We knew her brand had to communicate so much and do it with as minimal of a design as we could muster so that it didn’t overwhelm her gorgeous projects or her softspoken personality. And that’s just what we did.
The copy and design for the Nystrom design brand and website are intentional with every word and every stroke. Everything is perfectly put together to communicate her message and nothing more. We didn’t want Nystrom Design to get lost in loud graphics or fluffy copy. Nystrom Design’s work is about telling their clients’ stories in their homes, not injecting their own. The brand and web design are full of white space, warm neutrals and minimal patterns that lead your eye just where it needs to go next.
Thoughtful details like a custom, unexpected, creative display for the Instagram feed on the home page push viewers to get to know Ellen on another level.
Ellen’s emphasis on integrating original artwork into her clients’ homes and supporting local artists comes through in custom illustrations for her blog categories that are peppered throughout and add a bit of fun to a thoughtful site. Her blog design is based around easy-to-navigate categories that encourage readers to get lost in stories and inspiration. And her strong belief that there is beauty in order comes across in the perfectly-structured grid of project images on her portfolio page. In short, everything about this site emphasizes what makes Nystrom Design unique.
I loved every minute of working with Ellen and can’t wait to see her brand continue to evolve. Scroll down to see the brand board and some of my favorite parts of her website and collateral. View the full website here.
