Independent Projects – Design for Small & Mission-Driven Teams
Helping small teams tell big stories — through thoughtful design and communications.
I love helping small teams — especially schools, parishes, and nonprofits — tell their story well. Most of these organizations don’t have a full-time designer or strategist, so I get to wear a lot of hats: designer, copywriter, web builder, brand coach, and occasionally tech support. It’s scrappy, collaborative, and really rewarding.
Internal Website Wireframes
A Fortune 100 sales division needed help untangling their internal communications. Their internal site had become a dumping ground for resources and updates, with no clear hierarchy or user flow. Employees couldn’t find what they needed — and leadership couldn’t track whether the content was even being used.
They brought me in to help rethink the structure and design a user-centered navigation system.
I interviewed stakeholders and team leads to understand their workflows and pain points. Then I sketched out low-fidelity wireframes to reorganize the site’s structure, navigation, and content layout based on actual usage patterns.
Conducted user interviews to define goals and challenges
Created a new information architecture and sitemap
Designed wireframes to visualize page flow and user pathways
Collaborated with leadership on final recommendations
💡 Result: The new wireframe and content plan helped them streamline communication, reduce noise, and prep for a full redesign with clearer priorities and audience focus.
Why This Work Matters
It was a great example of how UX starts with listening — not layout. The project wasn’t flashy, but it made a real impact by helping the team cut through clutter and reconnect with their audience (their own employees!). I loved helping a large organization feel a little more human and a lot more navigable.
Catholic School Digital Refresh
A local Catholic school needed a quick but meaningful digital refresh — something to help with enrollment, family engagement, and visibility in the community.
Here’s what we created together:
Redesigned open house flyers & printed handouts
Branded social media templates (Canva) for easier posting
A landing page built with Google Sites for promotion
Weekly email templates for family communication
Basic ad graphics for Facebook/Instagram campaigns
Impact: Their open house had its highest attendance in 5 years — and their social media engagement jumped by 20% within the first few months.
Why this Work Matters
These projects are close to my heart. I get to work directly with people who care deeply about what they do — and help them feel seen, heard, and supported. Whether it’s designing a flyer that actually gets read or creating social content that brings a smile, I love being part of their mission through design.