KD Auto Glass | Branding & Website
0.1 The challenge
This was a particularly unique and exciting project for me. KD Auto Glass started off as a side hustle and a dream. Entrepreneur Jorge Sandoval wanted to break away from the typical 9-5 and build something for himself that could not only provide for his family but start a legacy. Jorge trusted me with his vision and goals and I went to work on building his branding and business website.
There aren’t many stock photography sites with images of windshields being replaced, so I had to get creative and incorporate lifestyle imagery with some client-generated images from the field.
Also, I needed to make sure that I designed mobile-first, because a majority of his clients mostly inquire via their mobile devices, so the site needed to be attractive and intuitive to simply reach out and make an appointment.
In order for Jorge to take his business and aspirations to the next level, he needed a professional online presence and flexible website that was tailored to his specific needs and allowed his business to speak for itself.
0.2 The branding
Despite being anxious to start designing a new website, I knew KD Auto Glass was in desperate need of a logo to serve as a foundation for their new venture. My goal was to make the brand appear more fun, approachable, trustworthy, reliable, recognizable, and professional—phew. 😅
I kept it clean, with uppercase typography to create a strong anchor for the icon and the 5 stars that Jorge (the owner) was proud to have earned being a freelance auto glass technician. Also, I adopted the color scheme from basic color psychology that highlights blue as being trustworthy, safe, and secure and made the logo as obvious as possible as to what services they provided.
0.3 The site design
The website really sets the tone for the user and indicates what type of experience they’ll have when using their services. So I tried to make sure that it embodied, the same sentiment as the logo; a friendly, professional, trustworthy, and clean aesthetic. It was important to keep the site simple and welcoming while setting the tone for the entire service experience and never making the customers feel overwhelmed by what they saw on any given page.
I also wanted to ensure that the customer could request a quote or appointment as quickly as possible and make them feel like their details being input, wasn’t going to be a hassle, so I strategically placed CTA’s on each page after each explainer section to direct them to book a service or contact.
To build the site I created a rough draft on a bulleted list of the pages and sections that were essential, then wireframed and created copy and imagery. The most challenging part was coming up with imagery since there aren’t many options for stock photos out there. I had to partner with the client to get photos from the field. Finally, the site was built within Squarespace that’ll allow them to maintain and update their website on their own. It’s a very user-friendly site builder, especially after a site has already been built by someone else.
0.4 The final product
I put the website live at a private “staging” URL so they could review the mobile version on her phone or computer, finalize all the content, and point out any issues before the new website went live.
The completed site is simple, elegant and intuitive and paired with KD Auto Glass’s reputation of excellent customer service it’s an easy way for customers to get acquainted with their services. KD Auto Glass is prepared to take its Auto Glass replacement business to the next level!