Radiant & Rare | Premium Soy Candle Brand

The Problem

R&R faced a common challenge in the luxury home goods market: translating the sensory and emotional experience of their candles into a digital space. The existing website lacked visual appeal, functionality, and a cohesive narrative that could communicate the brand’s luxurious essence and environmental ethos. The challenge was to design a platform that elevated the shopping experience, showcased the craftsmanship behind the products, and resonated with the brand’s sophisticated audience.

The Design Process

The design process began with a comprehensive brand discovery session to understand R&R’s mission and values. From there, I developed a design strategy focused on minimalism and refinement to mirror the brand’s luxurious identity. Key steps included:

Visual Identity: Incorporating soft, radiant colors and timeless typography to evoke calm and sophistication.
User Experience: Designing an intuitive and immersive online experience that mirrors the soothing nature of R&R candles.
Storytelling: Highlighting the craftsmanship and sustainability of the products through thoughtful content and visual design.

Collaboration with the founder at every stage ensured the design captured the essence of R&R’s rare and radiant ethos.

Research

To deliver a design that would resonate with R&R’s target audience, I conducted extensive research into the luxury home goods and eco-conscious markets. This included competitor analysis of high-end candle brands and consumer behavior studies to understand what drives purchasing decisions in the luxury segment. I also researched the benefits of soy candles and sustainability-focused marketing, ensuring these elements were highlighted effectively on the website.

User Personas

Two key user personas emerged during the project:

An individual who values moments of relaxation and seeks premium products to enhance their home environment.
A discerning shopper looking for unique, sustainable, and luxurious gifts for loved ones.

These personas informed the site’s design and functionality, including the prominence of gift sets, detailed product descriptions, and content emphasizing eco-conscious practices.

Wireframing and Prototyping

Wireframes were crafted to map out the customer journey, ensuring an intuitive navigation flow from the homepage to the checkout. Key features included:

Homepage Design: Showcasing the brand’s values, latest products, and subscription offers.
Product Pages: Highlighting unique candle features, sustainability details, and burning tips
Checkout Process: Optimizing for simplicity and speed to reduce cart abandonment rates.

These personas informed the site’s design and functionality, including the prominence of gift sets, detailed product descriptions, and content emphasizing eco-conscious practices.High-fidelity prototypes were developed in Figma and tested to ensure the layout and functionality aligned with user expectations and brand objectives.

What I Learned

This project reinforced the importance of translating sensory experiences into digital storytelling. I learned how to effectively balance luxury branding with eco-conscious messaging to appeal to sophisticated and environmentally aware consumers. Additionally, I gained valuable insights into designing for the premium home goods market, particularly the importance of user personas in shaping a seamless and elegant online experience. Ultimately, this project emphasized the power of thoughtful design in elevating a brand and deepening customer connections.

Creating a luxurious online experience for Radiant & Rare, a candle brand focused on evoking radiance, relaxation, and timeless indulgence through its hand-crafted soy candles.