After redesigning GraVoc.com, our UX and UI designer, Alicja Colon, breaks down three decisions that paid off and helped shape a clearer, more valuable website experience.
If I had to compare building a website to anything, it would be an iceberg.
You only see the tip — the polished visuals, smooth navigation, and the experience that feels effortless. But beneath the surface is where most of the work actually lives: strategy, concepting, testing, iteration, and plenty of debate along the way.
That’s the reality of website design.
What you see on the front end is the result of a lot of invisible decisions made long before a single page goes live. GraVoc’s recent redesign was no different.
Looking back, there were a few things that played a major role in shaping the final result. If you're planning a redesign of your own, these three ideas might be worth borrowing.
The “Rogue” Homepage
Yes — rogue.
I had some downtime and decided to explore what a modern GraVoc homepage could look like. No formal kickoff. No project brief. Just curiosity and creativity.
So, I designed one.
Once it was finished, I shared it with leadership, and suddenly the conversation shifted. The idea of a redesign went from abstract to tangible. Instead of imagining what the future site might look like, everyone could actually see it.
Sometimes it takes a visual to cast a vision.
This mirrors how we approach many client projects. Early in the process, we often explore visual directions for the homepage. It helps everyone react to something real rather than theoretical.
And there’s a bonus: it gets people excited. A single page can unlock momentum for an entire redesign.
Brand Strategy Before Design
Once leadership bought into the redesign, the next step wasn’t jumping straight into layouts and color palettes. It was strategy.
Without brand guidelines, design decisions quickly become subjective. One person prefers blue, another prefers green. One likes minimalism, another wants bold graphics. Before long, design reviews feel like an endless tug-of-war. GraVoc deserved better, and so does your website. So before diving deeper into the design, we went through a brand strategy process.
Together we explored GraVoc’s brand archetype, personality, and the traits we wanted clients to feel when they interacted with us. From there, those insights translated into visual choices: colors, textures, typography, and the overall design language of the site.
The difference was immediate. Instead of debating personal preferences, the team could evaluate decisions based on whether they aligned with the brand strategy. And that makes collaboration much smoother.
Finding Our “Why”
Design is only half the story. The words matter just as much. If visuals communicate your brand’s personality, messaging communicates your purpose. And the clearest way to define that purpose is understanding your company’s Why.
Inspired by Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why,” our founder David Gravel went through a workshop to clarify GraVoc’s core purpose. The exercise helped refine what drives the company and why clients choose to work with us. Once that was defined, it became the guiding star for the new homepage.
Every headline, every message, and every section was shaped by that purpose — ensuring the site reflects not just what GraVoc does, but why it exists. When your messaging is rooted in your Why, your website becomes more than informational. It becomes meaningful.
The Iceberg Beneath Every Website
When people see a finished website, they usually see the tip of the iceberg.
- The visuals.
- The experience.
- The layout.
But the real strength of a website comes from everything underneath: the strategy, the brand clarity, the messaging, and the countless decisions that shape the experience.
GraVoc’s redesign worked because we invested in that unseen foundation.
- A rogue idea sparked the vision.
- Brand strategy guided the design.
- And a clear Why shaped the message.
If you're considering a redesign of your own, remember: the most important parts of a website often happen long before the first page goes live.
And when you get those right, everything above the surface starts to fall into place.
