Website Rebrand
Strategic Investment Group
Brand Identity
Design System
UX Design
Responsive Web
Strategic Positioning
My Role
Built a comprehensive digital style guide and design system
Established brand discipline through a governed color, typography, and CTA system
Aligned design with marketing needs and multi-channel promotion (web + LinkedIn)
Embedded accessibility and UX best practices throughout the design system
Created governance documentation for content creators and developers
Designed for long-term scalability and future Phase 2 growth
Team
Design/UX Lead (me)
Content Strategist (Marlena Fortune)
Web Developer (Chris Neigh)
Account Supervisor (Alex Richardson)
Results
+15% accessibility compliance through structured UX standards
+10% CTA click-through rate via refined hierarchy and color system
Elevated digital brand presence to a modern, authoritative position
Established governance standards to support long-term growth
Challenge
The Strategic Investment Group, approaching nearly 40 years of delivering customized OCIO solutions, had a digital presence that no longer reflected the depth, authority, and forward-thinking mindset the firm had built over decades.
There was a clear opportunity to shift the site from a transactional destination into a more dynamic, story-driven experience. Instead of simply listing services, the redesigned platform needed to communicate benefits, expertise, and long-term value in a way that resonated with institutional audiences.
The challenge was twofold: modernize the brand visually while also restructuring the experience to guide users more intuitively toward insights, capabilities, and subject-matter experts. Strategic’s leadership needed to be felt, not just stated.
On top of that, the website and publications lacked a consistent system, which made the experience feel fragmented and difficult to scale internally.
Key issues included:
Inconsistent photography and stock image usage across publications
No clear rules for CTAs, iconography, or accent color usage
Weak headline structure and inconsistent typography
No scalable system for promoting content across web and LinkedIn
Risk of brand dilution due to mixed publication-sourced assets
Having previously partnered on the consumer OCIO site, we came in with a strong understanding of Strategic’s mission and audience—allowing us to move beyond surface-level updates and focus on true elevation.
Insights
The existing website lacked structure
The problem wasn't the content—it was the structure around it. Strategic had deep expertise, but the website didn't express it. The experience felt static and service-heavy, more like a brochure than a thought leadership platform. Without clear visual rules, every page felt slightly different—and that inconsistency quietly eroded trust and made the brand feel less premium than it actually was. To scale effectively, the team didn't just need better design. They needed a system—one that could guide content, visuals, and layout decisions long after launch. The goal was to build something that would keep working without us.
Collaborating with Strategic
This also required tight collaboration. The Adfero team and Strategic had to work closely together—especially around content and UX. Strategic owned content development, so design decisions couldn’t happen in isolation. Structure, storytelling, and interaction had to evolve together.
My Role
Built a Governed Color & CTA System
Established Cobalt Blue as the primary CTA color to anchor key interactions. Limited Orange to high-impact moments, CTAs and iconography on dark backgrounds, to preserve its visual weight.
Together, these elements formed the foundation of the design system—strengthening visual hierarchy and building a more recognizable, consistent brand presence.
Formalized Typography & Content Standards
Defined character limits — headlines capped at 50–60 characters — to improve readability and responsiveness across devices. Implemented semantic hierarchy rules (H1—H3) for accessibility and SEO. Worked with content teams to eliminate forced line breaks that disrupt responsive layouts.
Redesigned Photography Strategy for Thought Leadership
I built clear imagery guidelines for their News & Insights and Fiduciary Insights sections — establishing lead imagery standards aligned with publication themes, shifting the visual direction toward abstraction, architectural cues, and data-inspired photography. I introduced a gradient overlay system to unify imagery pulled from external publication sources, and ensured all visuals could scale consistently across landing pages, cards, and LinkedIn promotions.
The goal was a premium, channel-agnostic visual language that made Strategic feel as credible in a LinkedIn scroll as on its own homepage.
Established UX + Accessibility Best Practices
Established clear standards for how text could sit on photography to maintain readability and contrast. Standardized footer behavior across templates for a consistent experience site-wide. Built structured card layouts that improved scanability and responsiveness across devices. Embedded accessibility requirements — including contrast ratios, hierarchy, and legibility — into the system from the start, not as an afterthought.
Coordinated design handoff + design QA
For the development handoff, I created annotated breakdown screens and style documentation that mapped directly to Drupal 10 functionality. This helped bridge the gap between design intent and CMS reality, especially for modular components. This also helped the content team visually understand the parameters of each content block.
After handoff, I stayed involved through implementation—reviewing builds, fine-tuning spacing, and ensuring brand assets were applied consistently. The Strategic website launched in February 2026.
Results
The redesign unified Strategic’s visual identity across the website and its publications, creating a more cohesive and intentional brand presence. By introducing clear governance and scalable design standards, internal teams gained a structured system that supports consistent content creation and multi-channel promotion.
By introducing clear governance and scalable design standards, internal teams now have a structured system that supports consistent content creation and multi-channel promotion. The site is better equipped for future enhancements and Phase 2 growth.
Most importantly, the digital experience now reflects Strategic’s nearly 40-year legacy in institutional investing—elevating the brand perception from simply informational to authoritative, modern, and confidently forward-looking.
+15% accessibility compliance through structured UX standards
+10% CTA click-through rate via refined hierarchy and color system
Elevated digital brand presence to a modern, authoritative position
Established governance standards to support long-term growth
