Project details Client: Sublime Systems Agency: Wizardly

Sublime Systems, a climate-tech company reimagining how cement is made without the carbon, was making a strategic pivot in their brand and website messaging to better target both scientific experts and commercial decision-makers. While their previous messaging wasn't unclear, they felt it was time for a refresh that would better align with this dual-audience approach.

The company needed their refreshed website to dive deeper into what they do, how they do it, and how they can help each of their target audiences. Although they had received positive feedback on their existing branding, they wanted to elevate it further by leaning into storytelling rather than relying solely on visuals like their previous website had done.

As Art Director and Design Lead for the Wizardly team, I worked closely with Sublime's Head of Communication to develop a strategy that would serve both audiences effectively.

Research & Strategy - Before beginning design work, I was part of the team that led several stakeholder meetings and workshops to understand Sublime's goals and audience needs. To gather deeper insights, I created a set of interview questions for the Head of Communication to guide her conversations with each target audience - ensuring we had direct input from both scientific experts and commercial decision-makers.

Content & User Experience - I collaborated closely with the Head of Communication to refine the site's narrative, providing guidance on user flow, page hierarchy, and copy direction. Copy was a huge part of the refresh, and we went through several revisions to align the marketing needs with website storytelling that follows best practices. This strategic foundation was essential for creating a structure that could serve both technical and business audiences without compromising clarity.

Design & Animation - From the start of the project, we weren't sure if we were doing a refresh or introducing an entirely new style. We wanted to get input from the target audiences first before making that decision.

After the research phase, we collectively decided to elevate the current style rather than start from scratch. We explored what that elevation would look like and how far we wanted to push it. This led to several different concepts during our exploration phase, until we landed on one that combined elements from two approaches - one that was more bold, and another that was a slight upgrade from their existing design.

Visually, I introduced more editorial-style layouts and integrated imagery that added personality while supporting the messaging. Another way we elevated the design was by adding more motion and interactive moments throughout the website to express the brand in unique ways. I designed five new pages and used Jitter to prototype motion design, which helped clearly communicate interaction behaviors to the development team during handoff.

The final site successfully strikes a balance between clarity and character. It brings structure to complex climate technology information while maintaining Sublime's expressive brand personality and unconventional tone. The elevated design approach achieved the goal of diving deeper into what Sublime does, how they do it, and how they can help both scientific experts and commercial decision-makers through enhanced storytelling rather than relying solely on visuals.