Be Well Health Journal
In this project, I designed a commercial health journal for caregivers to record and track their family's medical history and wellness records.
Case Study
Client
Be Well Collective LLC
Year
2024
Industry
Wellness
Services
Editorial
Illustration
Programs Used
InDesign
Illustrator
Photoshop
Background Information
I worked on this project over the course of a year. It was substantial in size, and I was the only designer on this project. During this timeframe, I designed over 250+ pages, including the kids activity pages and illustrations. The client was a small business owner who wanted to create a health journal for caregivers to record their children's health and their own.
Project Brief
Challenge:
The original journal had no established design systems; no consistent margins, typography, or table formatting. Every page felt disconnected. Busy caregivers couldn't quickly scan for the information they needed because nothing was organized clearly. The inconsistent/bland design also hurt commercial appeal in a market where aesthetics really matter.
Strategy:
I took the original design and translated it into a cleaner, more refined version with proper design systems. The client wanted to keep the same typefaces, so I worked within that constraint to fix everything else. When she requested a kids section inside the journal, I realized having children handle 200+ pages of sensitive health info was problematic, so I proposed a separate activity book instead. Since I was the only designer on this year-long project, I had to create scalable systems that would work across all pages.
Solution:
I redesigned the entire health journal and created a separate kids activity book, establishing consistent design systems for everything: color, typography, grids, and table formatting. The kids book featured custom illustrations in a monochromatic scheme that tied back to the main brand. Working on this project for a full year allowed me to really master InDesign. The result was a complete transformation from a messy 200+ page document into a professional, user-friendly health management tool.
Design Process
Quick Overview:
I started by analyzing the original 200+ page journal to identify core usability problems, then proposed a complete redesign that established proper design systems (while working within the client's constraints). As the only designer for this project, I built comprehensive systems for typography, grids, and formatting that could scale across hundreds of pages. The year-long timeline also allowed me to gradually refine details.
Insights & Reflection
Working with print is completely different from digital. Colors and type sizes behave differently on paper, so I had to constantly print physical copies to make sure everything looked right.
Some clients are stubborn about certain design choices, so I learned to work around those constraints and get creative to keep everything functional.
Creating documents for people to write in taught me a lot about functional design. Spacing that looks good on screen doesn't always work when someone's trying to write in it.