SRA Website

The site is pre-launch — but the design work is complete and dev QA is ongoing. What exists now is a full digital foundation the organization didn't have before: a scalable IA, a cohesive visual system, and a handoff-ready Figma file that gives the development team everything they need to build.

The harder outcome was strategic. The Ashram had no established U.S. brand voice, no precedent for what the site should feel like, and a content team building pages in parallel with design. Resolving that ambiguity — establishing visual and structural patterns early enough that content and design could evolve together — is what made the project work.

The Ashram is a new physical destination, no existing website, no established digital presence. The organization needed a site that could introduce the Ashram to first-time visitors, communicate its history and offerings, support visitor planning, and create a scalable foundation for future growth, all before the space had physically opened.

The project had to balance multiple needs at once: introduce a new wellness sanctuary, honor the heritage of the mother Ashram in India, create a brand experience relevant to a U.S. audience, support both first-time visitors and existing members, and launch 16 pages from scratch.

The website could not simply be informational. It needed to feel immersive, welcoming, and emotionally connected to the physical space.

I served as Lead Designer throughout the project. While there was a broader team involved, most of the design direction and execution fell under my ownership. I was responsible for co-owning the information architecture with the content team, creating wireframes for key pages, leading the visual design direction, and translating content into clear, engaging page experiences.

I also worked directly with the development agency, explaining design intent, reviewing the implemented site, and providing ongoing QA feedback across button states, font styling, spacing, responsive behavior, and layout edge cases. A major part of my role was making sure content and design evolved together, since the two could not be separated on a project this storytelling-heavy.

The website was designed for several key audience groups, each arriving with different needs, motivations, and levels of familiarity with the Ashram. The goal was for every visitor to land on the site and feel drawn to the space, to see it as beautiful, meaningful, welcoming, and worth visiting.

The 16-page launch scope covers:

One of the biggest design decisions was making storytelling central to the experience. Rather than treating each page as a static information page, I designed the site to guide users through the Ashram's space, history, culture, and offerings in a more immersive way, through page structure, section pacing, photography, quotes, audio moments, and a layered content hierarchy.

The goal was to help users feel like they were beginning to experience the Ashram before physically arriving.

The homepage went through three meaningful stages. The wireframe established content hierarchy and section order without committing to any visual style. V1 explored a darker, typographic-led direction — clean and contemporary, but it read more like a boutique hotel than a spiritual sanctuary. The final shifted to a warmer, photography-forward experience built around immersion and arrival.

The key decision moment: V1 had strong structure but felt emotionally cold. The shift to warm tones, aerial photography, and a floating Guruji portrait was what made the homepage feel like an invitation rather than an introduction.

I worked closely with the content team throughout the project because the two disciplines couldn't be separated. Together we worked through questions like: what does a first-time visitor need to understand first? Where does the story need more emotion? What should be shown visually instead of explained in text?

This content-design partnership was especially important for pages like Our Story, Social Impact, and Inspiration & Founder, pages where the experience only works when structure, visuals, and messaging are developed together.

Once the site moved into development, my focus shifted to protecting the overall experience rather than chasing pixel perfection. QA feedback covered button states, font styling, spacing, padding, responsive behavior, layout edge cases, and component consistency. This collaboration is ongoing as the site moves toward launch.