I’ve been working as the Executive Director for Laceworks Jewelry since late 2013. With the unique skill set I provide, I have built the Laceworks brand from the ground up, both in print and on the web.

Client: Laceworks Jewelry makes handcrafted filigree in silver and gold using techniques that are more than 5000 years old.

Project Description: Build a fancy traditional website, produce web copy for the site, and design business cards.

A Quote

“Combining the ancient Western forms of filigree with the aesthetic sensibilities of modern Japan, each piece by Laceworks Jewelry tells a tale of romance…

Only this time, it’s an East meets West story that you can wear.”

The Inside Scoop

Full Disclosure: I’ve been working as the Executive Director for Laceworks Jewelry since late 2013. With the unique skill set I provide, I have built the Laceworks brand from the ground up, both in print and on the web. In fact, I built this site before striking out as a freelancer.

Copywriting

The writing for Laceworks Jewelry needed to mix elegance, sophistication, and romance, targeting primarily mid and upper income professionals in the 30-60 age range.

Yet at the same time, the prose needed to reflect the Japanese minimalism of the designer mastermind behind Laceworks Jewelry, Hisako Yamada. With so much classic influence to her designs, and yet so much innovation, we wanted the copy to have more of a story-like feel to it.

For the “About” section, we chose to highlight Hisako’s Japanese background, focusing on how the aesthetic sense she developed growing up in Japan influenced the jewelry-making techniques which she came to master while living in the States.

Other sections illustrate the technical process involved in production (similar to this handy poster I developed), and inform visitors as to the nature and style of Hisako’s work overall.

Website

For the web design, I pursued a minimalist, one-page layout which would compliment, yet not compete with, Hisako’s intricate lace-like work.

The splash screen header section is designed to capture the viewer’s interest, while the straight forward organization of the site sections allows them to browse in a linear or nonlinear order through the site’s content.

At the time of the site’s construction, we were selling online through Etsy, and opted not to develop a native shopping cart. However, with sales on the rise, and increasing demand for online purchases, it won’t be long before this functionality joins Laceworks’ online presentation.

Logo

For the logo, I selected a lace-like, feminine font, and added the silhouette of the branch behind it as a fill layer. I filled in a few of the flowers to add a color pop to the design, and added the lace butterfly to create a subtle nature scene—thus echoing a central feature of Laceworks Jewelry’s aesthetic principles.

Business Card

The front side of the business card immediately conveys the feminine elegance of the Laceworks brand, while the reverse side serves to display a sample of Hisako’s immaculate, hand-wrought filigree work.

My Favorite Part

Gold lace butterfly!

See the results:
I’ve since updated the Laceworks site design and business cards, the details of which you can read about here.