This is a hypothetically-done project. I was not hired by Write of Passage for this design.

About Write of Passage

Since its inception in 2019, Write of Passage has helped over 1,000 students worldwide in publishing quality ideas, connecting with like-minded people, and elevating their careers through writing on the Internet.

Write of Passage is now considered the gold standard for community-driven, cohort-based, online courses. It strives to build a global platform for writing instruction in the 21st-century, while delivering the best educational experience in the world.

Source: Write of Passage's LinkedIn Page

The Problem

Write of Passage's email newsletter provides high-quality ideas about writing online.

But their social media posts didn't have the same oomph.

• Most LinkedIn posts were text-only.
• The writing lacked the "playful, observant, and personal" approach that the emails had.

So, I took the liberty to design some visual content for Write of Passage.

I eventually chose the format of a LinkedIn carousel because it's engaging and succinct.

Approach

Gathering Design Guidelines

As a hypothetical design, I didn't have access to Write of Passage's brand identity or style guide.

So, I took a look at their website and noted their:

• Design elements (e.g. a "hand-drawn" underline for emphasis; diamond-shaped bullet points)
• Typography (DM Serif for headers; Poppins for body copy)
• Colors (Purple, pink, and highlights of lavender)

Writing the Carousel Content

I asked ChatGPT to summarize a recent email about "Beer Mode VS Coffee Mode".

The output was a good starting point, but had 2 problems:

• The use of emojis isn't super aligned with Write of Passage's brand
• It's not succinct enough for a LinkedIn carousel

🌟 Unlocking Creativity: Embrace "Beer Mode and Coffee Mode" 🌟

As creatives, we have two powerful ways of working: Beer Mode and Coffee Mode. 🍺☕

🍺 Beer Mode is a state of unfocused play, where we discover new ideas.
☕ Coffee Mode is a state of focused action, working toward specific outcomes.

While standard productivity advice focuses on Coffee Mode, it often overlooks the brilliance of Beer Mode. 🤔

Beer Mode may seem aimless, but it's filled with surprises and intellectual breakthroughs. John Cleese described it as an open, contemplative, and playful state, fueling curiosity and creativity. 🎉

Take Alexander Fleming's discovery of Penicillin as an example. In a moment of wandering, he stumbled upon a clue that led to a revolutionary breakthrough. 🧪

Finding the right balance between Beer Mode and Coffee Mode is like breathing for creativity. Let's embrace the inhale of Beer Mode for inspiration and the exhale of Coffee Mode for focused action. 💡

Remember, our best ideas thrive in calm contemplation. So, let's nurture both modes to unlock our true creative potential. 🚀

Designing the carousel

1. Set the carousel background to the iconic purple-pink gradient found on the website's buttons.

2. Searched for (free) icons of "beer" and "coffee", as that was the analogy used.

3. Narrowed icon search to the "hand-drawn" style to be consistent with brand elements.

4. Synthesized and re-ordered the content on the fly as I designed.

Result

Statistics

• Tools: Canva (Free Plan & Elements)
• Time Taken: 2h for content writing and design
• Engagement & Reach: N/A since this was hypothetical and not released

Reflection

A lot of my time was spent synthesizing ChatGPT's output and the original email content, then re-ordering the main points on the fly as I worked on the design.

In hindsight, having the entire content written out beforehand might have saved me some time.