The Problem — As part of their rebrand, Franklin Precision Castings (formerly Franklin Bronze) needed a new website to reinforce their market position and lay the groundwork for future brand assets. Only having a new logo to design from, as they sought a complete overhaul of their brand visuals.
Their existing site lacked design consistency, modern appeal, and failed to convey their full range of casting capabilities. Additionally, an inefficient contact form made it challenging for users to inquire about projects with attached files, hindering engagement and growth opportunities.
What I Did — Partnering with Franklin’s leadership, I established a clear visual direction and crafted wireframes, reusable components, and interactive elements for a cohesive design. I kept the project on course with regular meetings with our dev team and sprint reviews with Franklin, ensuring our vision stayed aligned.
Site Structure — Joining the project after initial research and strategy, I dove into the insights from user interviews, brand messaging, and personas. From this I helped finalize the user flow, information architecture, and page templates.
Visual Audit —
To ensure a shared vision between teams, I began by compiling Franklin's existing brand elements alongside competitor websites to establish a clear visual direction. This set the stage for a design that was not only market-differentiating but also offered a cleaner user interface and more engaging experience
Wireframes & Components —
Operating under a tight timeline and budget, I developed mid-fi wireframes to demonstrate layout, typography, color, and interactive design. This process facilitated focused feedback sessions with Franklin's leadership, refining visual elements like photography direction and establishing reusable components for their team’s ongoing site management.
Final Product —
With engineers being Franklin's core users, I used a clean, grid-based editorial layout to deliver information in a familiar format. Bold yet subtle colors echoed the heating and cooling phases of the casting process. I also contributed to art direction and helped craft a shot list, capturing striking imagery that showcases Franklin’s facility and product capabilities.
Dropdown Menu
Hamburger Menu
Styleguide —
I created a comprehensive style guide for developers, covering toggled navigation, typography, color schemes, hover states with CSS animations, and more to maintain consistency across the website.
