AIQ :Site Redesign
Following a comprehensive rebranding effort by COLLINS, Assurance IQ undertook a full website redesign to align with the new identity. As Art Director, my task was to translate the abstract adjectives of the rebrand into tactile experiences: warm, approachable, and humble in practice, not just in the style guide. I directed a contract designer through wireframes while I developed the overall design system.
ART DIRECTIONARCHIVESUX/UI DESIGN
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Assurance IQ: site redesign
Following a comprehensive rebranding effort by COLLINS, Assurance IQ undertook a full website redesign to align with the new identity. As Art Director, my task was to translate the abstract adjectives of the rebrand into tactile experiences: warm, approachable, and humble in practice, not just in the style guide. I directed a contract designer through wireframes while I developed the overall design system.
building the bookshelf
Design had to begin before information architecture was finalized, which was like building a bookshelf to specific dimensions without knowing what they are. I started by chunking the existing site’s content into temporary priority categories and focused on templatizable content blocks plus navigation groups, leading with the insurance product pages. Each page intentionally opens with three blocks so visitors see one, two, or all three above the fold on any device: a hero banner stating Assurance IQ’s view of the product with a call to action, a “We are Assurance IQ” block with five reasons to choose us, and a strip block of partner logos that builds trust at a glance. Elsewhere, ‘What to expect’, article, and FAQ blocks gave each page the same dependable shelves, with the FAQ there to ease customer anxiety. The north star was a site that felt like a useful hub, where no existing or potential customer ever felt lost about their coverage.
Because I designed these shelves with reusability in mind, the work could move on parallel tracks. I gave the contract designer modular wireframes built on the COLLINS guide as a starting point, and we kept a steady rhythm of brainstorming sessions, action items for each of us, and check-ins every two or three days. Once that workflow proved reliable, I began building the design system in Figma: typography with rem-based scaling across desktop and responsive breakpoints; primary, secondary, and tertiary buttons with sizing and states; and a nine-step hue guide for each of the brand’s color families.
outcomes & reflections
The project paused when Assurance IQ closed, with the typography, buttons, and primitive color tokens complete and the semantic token layer still ahead. Translating a brand into a working system sharpened my focus on refining the smallest details until they deliver the intended customer experience. I develop every system with this in mind, building flexible structures that promote engagement and leave room for decisions still to come.
