Farestart

Nonprofit website redesign focused on trust clarity and donation conversion

Role

UX & Visual Designer

Industry

Nonprofit • Social Impact • Web Design

Duration

6 Weeks

Modernizing a Nonprofit Website for Clarity Trust and Emotional Impact

FareStart is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that transforms lives through food-service job training and employment. Since 1992, it has empowered people overcoming homelessness, poverty, and incarceration to achieve long-term self-sufficiency.

The goal of this redesign was to modernize FareStart’s website and create a more human-centered experience, one that conveys warmth, optimism, and community impact while maintaining a professional visual identity.

Diagnosing Usability and Storytelling Gaps in the Existing Experience

The existing FareStart site appeared text-heavy, visually inconsistent, and lacked emotional storytelling. Users often struggled to locate donation or volunteer options, and the interface didn’t reflect FareStart’s dual nature as both a professional training institution and a compassionate community organization

Defining Usability and Brand Warmth as Core Experience Goals

Strengthen emotional storytelling through imagery and color
Improve usability and navigation flow across key pages
Highlight impact metrics and personal success stories
Simplify donation and volunteer actions
Unify digital and print identities under one consistent visual system

Modernizing a Nonprofit Website for Clarity Trust and Emotional Impact

Diagnosing Usability and Storytelling Gaps in the Existing Experience

Defining Usability and Brand Warmth as Core Experience Goals

Strengthen emotional storytelling through imagery and color
Improve usability and navigation flow across key pages
Highlight impact metrics and personal success stories
Simplify donation and volunteer actions
Unify digital and print identities under one consistent visual system

Building a Warm Accessible Visual System

Color Palette:
Built on warm analogous hues of gold, orange, and yellow to convey optimism and nourishment, extended with olive green for sustainability and black/white for balance.
Key colors:

Bronze #A4833D – stability & trust
Golden Orange #DD972E – calls-to-action & energy
Bright Yellow #FADA34 – positivity
Lime Green #C4FA34 – renewal
Black & White – clarity & contrast

Typography:

Montserrat (Sans-serif): Modern, approachable, professional
Merriweather (Serif): Warm, trustworthy, human
This pairing balances clarity with empathy, reflecting FareStart’s brand tone

Translating Mission and Impact into Page Structure and Interaction Flow

Identified three key user goals: learning about FareStart, engaging via donation or volunteering, and accessing visit information.
Sketched low-fidelity wireframes to clarify hierarchy and flow.
Developed a warm, inclusive color palette and accessible typography system.
Built the high-fidelity homepage emphasizing emotional connection, structured navigation, and measurable impact metrics.

Delivering a Donation Focused and Story Driven Homepage

The final design emphasizes FareStart’s mission of empowerment through food and community.

A welcoming hero section introduces the brand and highlights key CTAs (“Volunteer With Us”, “Support Our Mission”).
Mid-page metrics (“2,500+ lives transformed”, “85% job placement rate”) build credibility.
Testimonial cards share authentic stories of transformation.
A “Ways to Support” section consolidates donation, volunteering, and dining options in a single, consistent layout.

Strengthening Trust and Engagement Through Visual and UX Clarity

The redesign transforms FareStart’s online identity into one that’s modern, cohesive, and emotionally resonant. The structured layout and accessible design enhance user trust, while warm tones and human-centered photography convey a sense of belonging and hope.

If implemented, the redesign would strengthen FareStart’s engagement with donors, volunteers, and community members, driving both digital visibility and social impact.

Delivering a Donation Focused and Story Driven Homepage

The final design emphasizes FareStart’s mission of empowerment through food and community.

A welcoming hero section introduces the brand and highlights key CTAs (“Volunteer With Us”, “Support Our Mission”).
Mid-page metrics (“2,500+ lives transformed”, “85% job placement rate”) build credibility.
Testimonial cards share authentic stories of transformation.
A “Ways to Support” section consolidates donation, volunteering, and dining options in a single, consistent layout.

Strengthening Trust and Engagement Through Visual and UX Clarity

If implemented, the redesign would strengthen FareStart’s engagement with donors, volunteers, and community members, driving both digital visibility and social impact.