A symphony of motion and architecture, framed by history.
Background & Problem
Chrysalis Community Drug Project is a North Dublin charity offering a range of therapeutic interventions to individuals in the Inner City who are experiencing difficulties in relation to addiction and related issues. Chrysalis supports service users from early recovery to aftercare through the continuum of care, supported by a highly trained and skilled team of key workers, case managers, and therapists.
Chrysalis had noted a disconnect between their brand messaging of openness, hope and recovery and their brand imagery. They made the decision to revitalise their branding and visual communications, engaging a Graphic Designer to redesign their logo, along with my digital design services to redevelop their website, stock photography and staff headshots.
Project Work
The project involved building a new website from the ground up, with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and ease of use. Content was restructured to better reflect the organisation’s services and the journey of service users, making it easier to navigate, with a focus on mobile-first use. Existing content was reviewed cut and updates as needed.
The major changes came in the form of updated imagery and the splitting of Referrals and Services into two separate pages creating a more intentional and easy to read format. Additional interactive elements were added to the project allowing users to use Google maps to navigate to the Chrysalis offices if needed and understand the charity’s catchment areas.
Alongside the website build, I developed supporting visual content, including sourcing and capture of appropriate imagery and carrying out staff headshot photography. The aim was to create a consistent and realistic representation of the organisation, helping to put faces to the service and reinforce a sense of trust and professionalism.
Throughout the process, I worked closely with the CEO to ensure the website and visuals stayed aligned with the updated branding and messaging.
Testing
Once a working version of the site and visual direction was in place, with our limited resources testing was undertaken by being shared with Chrysalis staff for feedback. This included both the structure and usability of the website, as well as the tone and suitability of the imagery.
Feedback was gathered informally, focusing on how well the site reflected their day-to-day work and whether it felt accessible and appropriate for the people they support. This helped identify small but important adjustments, particularly around language, images, and clarity of information.
Although testing was limited in scope, it provided useful insight from people directly involved in the service, helping to ground the final outcome in real-world use.
Reflections
This project highlighted the importance volunteering can have on a small charity, especially one in a sensitive area like addiction support with limited funding and resources. Simple improvements around accessibility, format and style can have a noticeable impact on how approachable and trustworthy a service can be.
It also reinforced the value of collaboration. Working through different design views and incorporating feedback from staff helped shape a more balanced outcome that felt both professional and human.
Overall, the project was less about creating something visually striking and more about building something clear, respectful, impactful and genuinely representative of the work Chrysalis does.
