When Let Her Speak approached me, they had a bold mission: amplify the voices of women through personal storytelling and build a community rooted in vulnerability, strength, and connection. What they didn’t have was a digital presence that matched the power of their purpose.
Over the course of several weeks, I led the design and strategy behind a new website and cohesive social media presence that now reflect the heart of Let Her Speak: honest, empowering, and built to grow.
My Role: From Vision to Execution
I served as the lead designer and creative strategist for the project, working closely with a small, dedicated team of contributors. Together, we shaped a new digital ecosystem that was not only beautiful but also intentional. Now, every design decision served the mission.
From user-friendly layouts to branded social templates, I created a cohesive design system that allowed the organization to share personal stories, highlight upcoming events, and invite new voices into the conversation. Collaboration happened in real-time via shared tools like Figma and Notion, ensuring feedback was clear and actionable.
The Challenges: Designing for Depth and Scale
The biggest design challenge? Honoring the emotional weight of each woman’s story without overwhelming the user.
We needed a site that felt calm and open, a digital space that gave stories room to breathe. I used clean typography, bold color schemes, and subtle transitions to support a narrative flow, rather than distract from it. At the same time, I built reusable design components so the team could scale the platform without losing consistency as they grew.
Another constraint was the small internal team. I addressed this by creating a series of flexible social templates and brand guidelines to make updates and content creation seamless on their end.
Why It Matters: A Mission Aligned with Purposeful Communication
Working with Let Her Speak reminded me why I love this work: when Creative Direction is done right, it doesn’t just look good. It builds trust, fosters engagement, and drives real connection.
The Results: Real Growth, Real Engagement
- 78% increase in website engagement within 3 months of launch
- 3x more community story submissions after redesign
- 200% growth in social reach following branded campaign rollouts
- New collaborations formed with local advocacy groups
Most meaningfully, many contributors shared that they felt “seen” and “safe.” This is proof that a good user experience is an invitation, not just an interface.
What I’d Improve
In the future, I’d suggest building a campaign series to highlight storytellers from different cultural backgrounds, to better champion diversity. There’s still so much potential in broadening the scope of who gets to be heard, and how.
Visual Highlights
- A clean, intuitive homepage showcasing curated photography and inclusive messaging
- A branded Instagram series using story excerpts and community quotes
- A modular design system that empowers the team to keep growing with ease
Let Her Speak is more than just a client project for me. It is an example of what’s possible when design meets mission. Whether for advocacy or education, I bring the same principles to every project: empathy, clarity, and strategy that scales.
Ready to Tell Your Story with Clarity?
Creative storytelling helps your audience feel, connect, and take action. Whether you’re building a platform for impact or elevating a brand with heart, I help organizations translate their mission into content that resonates.
Let’s collaborate and create something unforgettable!
xoxo,
Michaela Rae
V. Studio 