Alliance of Independent Authors
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) are a non-profit who provide advice, guidance, and resources to thousands of independent authors who are looking to get their work published.
ALLi work tirelessly to support their members, and their expertise and rich online content is proof of this. However, their original branding failed to reflect their professional acumen.
The symbol used for the new identity is a combination of an open book and a group of four people who represent the members. The symbol has been distilled down to its most simplistic form in order to aid recognition and allow for clear reproduction at all sizes.
A more distinct font enhances the identity’s personality, while the friendly, rounded terminals (the ends of the lettering strokes) reflects the welcoming and creative aspect of the brand, acting as a nod to an author’s handwriting.
Once the logo was developed, I was then tasked with overhauling the entire online user experience.
A key focus here was in streamlining the steps a user takes from browsing the site to becoming a paid member, other additional major enhancements were also implemented. For example, the ability of members to manage and update their profile information, membership status, and details on their novels was consolidated into one intuitive section rather than being scattered across multiple pages.
The largest positive change for members was the introduction of a dashboard, enabling them to navigate the members’ area quickly and efficiently.
Overall the improved branding and user experience enhanced the site both practically and visually.
Badges which members can display on their own site were also redesigned. These are now much clearer and functional than their predecessors; the new versions are easier to read and take up less space than the previous rosette design.
Other collateral such as guidebook templates, email banners and podcast icons were also updated to reflect the new branding.
