Iron Website and Web Design · 2025
Made Home Web Design
by Eun Ji Kim
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Website and Web Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Eun Ji Kim
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 47,946
- Verification code 281D162C40 · Verify this award
About Made Home Web Design
Made Home reimagines the online marketplace by blending e-commerce with storytelling to showcase NYC's homemade food artisans. The design emphasizes clarity and engagement, featuring intuitive navigation, dynamic visuals, and a curated layout that highlights each maker's craft. Prioritizing accessibility and user experience fosters a deeper connection between artisans and consumers. By transforming digital commerce into a community driven experience, Made Home elevates locally made products and the stories behind them.
Made Home Web Design by Eun Ji Kim operates within the rich tradition of contemporary digital interface design, where user experience principles intersect with brand identity expression to create functional environments that serve both utilitarian navigation needs and emotional connection objectives, a practice that has evolved significantly since the early web's purely informational paradigms toward sophisticated platforms balancing commercial viability with community values and human-centered service delivery models. The compositional achievement evident in this homepage design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of visual hierarchy, typographic scale relationships, and the strategic deployment of negative space as active design element rather than residual void, the generous white field providing cognitive breathing room and directing attention efficiently toward the essential branded message and conversion pathways without overwhelming visitors with excessive visual information or competing focal points. The chromatic restraint employed throughout the interface—limiting the palette primarily to pristine white ground and a single saturated blue hue for all typographic and branded elements—achieves multiple simultaneous objectives including immediate brand recognition through color consistency, enhanced readability through high contrast relationships, and a contemporary aesthetic sensibility aligned with progressive digital service platforms that prioritize clarity and accessibility over decorative elaboration, this disciplined color strategy suggesting alignment with minimalist design movements while maintaining sufficient personality and warmth through the specific blue selection, which reads as optimistic, trustworthy, and contemporary rather than stark or austere. The typographic choices reveal careful consideration of brand voice and readability requirements, the elegant serif face selected for the hero statement and body copy projecting sophistication and approachability simultaneously through its classical proportions and generous spacing, while the sans-serif elements in navigation maintain utilitarian clarity, this mixing of type categories creating subtle hierarchical distinction and visual interest within the restrained overall system. The integration of photographic content through the circular portrait element introduces crucial human dimension to the otherwise text-and-space-dominated composition, the tondo format providing geometric variety and the cropped two-figure grouping suggesting the collaborative community model articulated in the adjacent mission statement, this strategic pairing of visual and verbal communication reinforcing brand values through complementary channels. The interface architecture demonstrates thoughtful user experience design through its clear horizontal navigation spanning recognizable content categories, the inclusion of utility functions in expected upper-right positioning following established web convention patterns, and the provision of both exploratory pathways through topical navigation and direct conversion routes through the "About Us" call-to-action, this dual-track approach accommodating different visitor intentions and stages of engagement with the platform. What emerges through these formal and strategic choices appears to be a brand identity rooted in democratizing access to quality homecooked meals through digital platform enablement of independent culinary entrepreneurs, the design vocabulary suggesting values of transparency, community orientation, entrepreneurial celebration, and accessible sophistication—a visual language that invites consideration of how digital interfaces can facilitate local commerce, collaborative economy models, and community-building initiatives while maintaining commercial viability and contemporary aesthetic standards, how design restraint and clarity themselves can communicate trustworthiness and professionalism, and how the integration of authentic human representation within minimalist compositional frameworks can balance efficiency with warmth in service-oriented digital environments.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Made Home is a web design project that merges e-commerce with brand identity to highlight local homemade food markets within NYC communities. The platform provides a seamless and visually engaging experience, connecting small-scale food artisans with a broader audience. Through intuitive navigation, curated storytelling, and strong visual branding, Made Home enhances the accessibility and appeal of locally made products, fostering a deeper connection between makers and consumers.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Website Technical Specifications Supported Browsers: Latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
- Tags
- Web Design, Website Design, UI Design, Minimalism, Modern, User Experience, User Interface, Interaction Design, E-commerce Design, Small Business Support, Brand Identity
- Production Technology
- The design process involved wireframing and prototyping in Figma, with branding elements, illustrations, and image enhancements created using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Design Challenge
- One of the biggest challenges of Made Home was creating a seamless balance between e-commerce functionality and brand storytelling. Unlike traditional online marketplaces, this project needed to highlight both the products and the artisans behind them, ensuring an engaging and emotional connection with users.
- Project Duration
- The project started in April 2024 and finished in November 2024 in New York.
- Operation Flow
- Made Home functions as a vibrant digital marketplace, offering a warm and inviting experience akin to strolling through a local artisan market. Users are guided effortlessly through curated selections, with intuitive navigation that feels like browsing a neighborhood shop. Personalized recommendations and engaging storytelling create a seamless connection between buyers and makers. This approach transforms the website into more than just a shopping platform, as it becomes a celebration of community and craftsmanship.
- Research
- As Made Home bridges e-commerce with community-driven branding, our research focused on understanding the needs of local food artisans and their customers. We analyzed successful marketplace models, conducted user interviews, and explored behavioral trends in online food shopping. Insights from this research shaped our approach, leading to a design that balances functionality with storytelling. We refined the interface through iterative prototyping, ensuring a seamless and visually engaging user experience.
- Inspiration
- Made Home is inspired by the need for a platform that connects small-scale food artisans with a wider audience. Drawing from community-driven marketplaces, it creates an intuitive and visually compelling space that elevates local businesses. Research on user behavior, brand identity, and seamless digital experiences shaped the design. More than just e-commerce, Made Home celebrates craftsmanship, community, and the authentic stories behind each homemade product.
Colors of Made Home Web Design
Get Made Home Web Design
Design Interview about Made Home Web Design
Made Home is designed as a digital marketplace highlighting NYC local food artisans by combining e-commerce with storytelling. The core principle is to offer a clear, engaging, and accessible platform that showcases the craftsmanship and unique qualities of homemade products. The design draws inspiration from community-driven marketplaces and aims to connect small-scale makers with broader audiences through an intuitive and visually rich experience.
The main focus was to create an intuitive and visually engaging platform that makes discovering and purchasing local homemade food products easy and enjoyable. The design aimed to balance functionality with storytelling to highlight each artisan's unique offerings. Ultimately, the goal was to foster a stronger connection between consumers and small-scale food makers by enhancing accessibility and user experience.
Future plans include expanding the platform's features to support broader categories of handmade goods and integrating more community engagement tools. There is also a focus on enhancing personalization and scalability to better serve both artisans and consumers, ensuring the design remains adaptable for evolving user needs and market trends.
The design process took several months, allowing for thorough research, user testing, and iterative refinement to ensure the platform met accessibility and usability goals.
This design was self-initiated, inspired by the need to provide small-scale food artisans with a platform that connects them to wider audiences. The concept emerged from observing gaps in existing marketplaces and the desire to create a more engaging, community-focused digital experience.
The design is currently a conceptual project and is not yet produced or used by any company. There are no immediate plans to sell or lease production rights, but the concept remains open for future development or collaboration.
The design was motivated by the desire to support local food artisans and address the lack of dedicated digital platforms that effectively showcase their craftsmanship. This type of work allows for blending e-commerce with storytelling to elevate the visibility of small-scale producers within their communities.
The design drew inspiration from community-focused marketplaces and platforms that emphasize storytelling alongside commerce. While no specific designer was directly referenced, the project was influenced by trends in user-centered design that prioritize accessibility, clarity, and engaging visuals.
The target users are consumers interested in locally made, artisanal food products, as well as small-scale food artisans seeking an accessible platform to showcase and sell their goods. The design aims to serve both parties by facilitating discovery, engagement, and purchase within a community-driven marketplace.
Made Home integrates storytelling with e-commerce to emphasize the unique craftsmanship of local artisans. Its focus on intuitive navigation, curated visual presentation, and accessibility creates a seamless user experience that fosters community connection beyond simple transactions.
The name Made Home reflects the focus on handmade, locally crafted food products that originate from home kitchens and small artisan workshops. It conveys the idea of authenticity, craftsmanship, and community rooted in local production.
The design was primarily created using Figma, which facilitated interface design, prototyping, and collaboration.
The most unique aspect of the design is its seamless integration of e-commerce functionality with immersive storytelling that highlights individual artisans and their handcrafted products. Vendors can showcase their products to a diverse customer base, while customers can explore a wide variety of products within a single platform. This combination fosters community connection and authenticity in a digital marketplace.
The design was developed independently under the guidance of a senior portfolio class professor who provided mentorship and feedback throughout the process. Additionally, multiple rounds of revisions and refinements were made to improve the concept.
Technology serves as the foundation for creating an accessible and user-friendly digital marketplace. It enables seamless e-commerce transactions, supports dynamic visual content, and facilitates intuitive navigation, ensuring a smooth interaction between users and the platform.
The design process included research on user behavior and preferences related to online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms. Insights were also drawn from interactions with farmers market vendors, whose practices and community focus inspired aspects of the platform. Analysis of community-driven sites and user interaction patterns informed decisions on navigation, visual hierarchy, and content presentation to enhance accessibility and engagement.
One of the main challenges was balancing a visually rich storytelling experience with clear and efficient e-commerce functionality. Ensuring intuitive navigation while maintaining engaging content required multiple design iterations. Additionally, representing diverse artisans and products fairly within a cohesive layout posed a challenge. Limited access to firsthand stories from vendors restricted the ability to fully incorporate authentic user narratives
I submitted the design to an international competition to challenge myself and see how the concept would be received outside my usual environment. It was also an opportunity to gain experience and feedback that could help me grow as a designer.
During the design process, I improved my ability to balance storytelling with functionality in digital platforms. I gained experience in creating clear navigation while maintaining engaging visual elements. This project was one of the ones where I invested significant time specifically on the visual design, which strengthened my skills in user-centered design and iterative refinement based on feedback.
This project emphasized the importance of connecting local artisans with their communities through digital means. While the concept focuses on e-commerce, it also aims to preserve and share the stories behind each product, which I believe adds meaningful value beyond simple transactions.
Grand Interview about Made Home Web Design
The idea for Made Home was sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic, when I witnessed many small businesses closing their doors. One particular story stood out: a former bakery owner in Brooklyn who began selling her homemade bread from her home. I was moved by her resilience and creativity, and it made me wonder how more people could discover and support makers like her.While farmers markets and local artisan pop-ups thrive offline, I noticed a lack of digital platforms tailored for these kinds of small-scale food producers. I was inspired by the connection these vendors create in person – through handmade products and personal stories – and wanted to translate that warmth into a digital experience.As I researched, I found that most e-commerce platforms focus heavily on transactions and often overlook the emotional value of buying locally made products. That’s when the idea of combining commerce with storytelling became central. I wanted to create a space where users could not only shop, but also understand the people and processes behind each product. The design focused on using layout, photography, and typography to elevate each artisan’s voice, while maintaining a smooth and intuitive shopping experience.
User behavior research played a key role in shaping the visual hierarchy and navigation of Made Home. I studied how people browse and interact with online marketplaces, especially those looking for local or handmade goods. Many users want quick access to product information but also appreciate storytelling when it is presented in a non-intrusive and visually appealing way.This insight led me to design a layout that allows for seamless scanning while embedding moments of narrative. I prioritized clear navigation with consistent placement of menus, filters, and product categories to reduce friction and create familiarity. I also looked into how users make purchase decisions and noticed that emotional cues such as photos of makers or short backstories greatly influenced engagement. So I structured the interface to let those elements stand out without disrupting the overall shopping flow.
The inspiration to center each artisan’s story came from witnessing how deeply people connect with the individuals behind the products. During the early stages of the pandemic, I saw many small business owners lose their storefronts, yet some found new ways to keep going from their own homes. One story that resonated with me was a former bakery owner in Brooklyn who started selling bread from her kitchen. Her story was powerful, and I realized that people are often drawn not just to what is made but to who made it and why.This shaped my design process from the beginning. I focused on building a structure where storytelling would feel natural and integrated into the browsing experience. Each product page includes space for a short narrative, photos of the maker, and design elements that support personal connection. I approached the interface not just as a catalog, but as a storytelling tool that builds trust and community through visual and emotional cues.
Balancing strong storytelling with functional usability was one of the key design challenges for Made Home. I wanted to create a visually rich experience that reflected each maker’s personality and brand while ensuring that users could browse and shop with ease. To achieve this, I focused on consistency in layout, clear typography, and structured content hierarchy.Storytelling elements such as maker profiles, photos, and product backstories were carefully integrated into the shopping flow without interrupting usability. Accessibility was addressed through readable type sizes, responsive design, and intuitive navigation. Every design decision aimed to maintain clarity while allowing room for emotion and narrative. The result is a platform that feels both personal and efficient, where storytelling supports rather than distracts from the user journey.
To balance product visibility with maker storytelling, I approached both as equally important components of the user experience. Rather than treating storytelling as secondary, I designed the layout so that product information and maker narratives could appear side by side or in a rhythm that felt cohesive. Each product page was structured to flow from visuals and essential details into a concise, engaging backstory.I also paid attention to pacing. For example, a user might encounter a brief story snippet while browsing, then choose to learn more through dedicated maker profiles. This layered approach allowed users to engage at their own pace, without overwhelming them with text or distracting from the product itself. The key was giving each element enough space and clarity so that together they formed a more complete and human-centered shopping experience.
To bring the warmth of traditional artisan markets into a digital environment, I focused on designing with emotional cues that mimic in-person experiences. Visual storytelling played a central role. I used warm color palettes, soft textures, and candid photography to reflect the intimacy and human touch found in local markets. Maker profiles included personal photos and stories that offered visitors a glimpse into each artisan’s background and passion.The structure of the platform also borrowed from the feel of browsing a physical market. Instead of overwhelming users with a dense catalog, I created curated sections that guided exploration and encouraged discovery. Small design choices like handwritten-style elements or ingredient close-ups helped create a sense of familiarity. The goal was to create an inviting space that felt personal, human, and community-driven even through a screen.
During the research phase, one surprising insight was how much emotional connection influenced purchasing decisions in local marketplaces. Interviews revealed that users were not only interested in the products themselves but deeply valued the stories and personal backgrounds of the makers. This insight shifted the focus from a purely transactional interface to one that integrates storytelling as a core feature.Additionally, analysis of existing marketplace models showed a tendency to overwhelm users with extensive product lists and complex filters. Many users expressed frustration with this and preferred a more guided and curated browsing experience. This led me to prioritize simplicity and curation in the design, ensuring that users can easily discover products without feeling lost.These findings shaped both the layout and content strategy, creating a balanced platform that highlights both the artisans and their products in an engaging way.
The goal was to replicate the comfortable and familiar feeling of browsing a neighborhood shop within a digital platform. I focused on creating a user journey that flows naturally from exploration to purchase without abrupt transitions. To achieve this, the design features clear visual cues and logical progression points that guide users step-by-step.The homepage and category pages act like storefront windows, showcasing curated selections that invite users to explore. Product pages offer concise information paired with stories about the makers, creating a personal connection that encourages purchasing. Navigation is streamlined to reduce friction, with consistent menus and easy access to shopping cart and checkout.Throughout the process, I emphasized simplicity and clarity to avoid overwhelming users. By layering information gradually and providing familiar cues, the platform offers an intuitive and inviting path that mirrors real-life shopping experiences in local communities.
The visual branding choices in Made Home were guided by the goal to create a warm, approachable, and authentic atmosphere that reflects the spirit of local artisans. Typography was selected for its readability and subtle personality, using clean and modern fonts that still feel friendly.Given the extensive use of photography throughout the design, the color scheme was chosen to complement and not compete with the images. A neutral gray was used as the primary background color to provide a calm and unobtrusive canvas. Blue was selected as the accent color to highlight interactive elements and calls to action, offering a clear contrast that guides users’ attention without overwhelming the visual content.Interactive elements were designed to be simple and intuitive, avoiding complexity that might disrupt the user experience. Hover effects, button animations, and transitions are subtle yet purposeful, helping users navigate smoothly while reinforcing the brand’s personality. Overall, these design decisions work together to create a cohesive and engaging environment where both the products and the stories behind them are equally emphasized.
Made Home’s approach demonstrates the potential for digital marketplaces to move beyond simple transactions and foster genuine connections between artisans and consumers. By integrating storytelling into the shopping experience, it sets a precedent for platforms that prioritize human-centered design and community engagement.I envision future marketplaces adopting similar strategies to highlight the cultural and personal significance of handmade products. This approach can encourage greater consumer awareness and appreciation, ultimately supporting sustainable local economies. As technology advances, combining seamless e-commerce with rich narrative content will become a key factor in differentiating marketplaces and creating meaningful user experiences.