Web Design – Dionne Design Studio

Ferguson Human Resource Solutions

Sarah Sullivan — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:37:45 +0000

Ferguson Human Resource Solutions

Ferguson HR Solutions is a full-service HR consulting firm and division of Ferguson Digital, offering tiered HR support to business owners from foundational resources through comprehensive strategic guidance.

Before any design work began, we developed a comprehensive set of website goals and recommendations covering tone, photography direction, typography, content structure, and call-to-action strategy. The central recommendation was a single scrollable homepage built around a narrative journey rather than a service list, with calls to action placed throughout to meet visitors wherever they were in the decision-making process. Photography direction called for warm, people-focused imagery that reflected the firm’s inclusive values, specifically avoiding the cold corporate aesthetic common in the HR space.

We presented two distinct visual design directions, each with a clear strategic rationale. The first emphasized warmth and approachability through rounded elements and softer visual cues, suited to clients who want a supportive partner. The strategic content structure and color palette, developed collaboratively with the client. After the client selected their direction, the full site was built and launched in Squarespace within two weeks.

The result is a website that meets potential clients in their moment of uncertainty about HR and immediately communicates both the firm’s expertise and its people-first values.

Services

Web strategy and design: the strategy centered on a single scrollable, narrative-driven homepage (rather than a service-list structure) with calls to action placed throughout the visitor’s decision journey. We Built on Squarespace so the client can update and maintain the site independently, without needing a developer for routine changes or content updates.
Copywriting: Using client materials, industry research, and AI-assisted drafting, we wrote copy that speaks to both experienced HR buyers and first-time clients.
Visual identity: While the client hadn’t budgeted for a full brand design, I helped them to developed a visual style — color palette, typography, iconography, and photography — to reflect the firm’s people-first values.

“Sarah created a beautiful, professional website that perfectly captures my brand. Working with her was an absolute pleasure. She listened carefully to my vision, addressed every concern, and offered creative solutions that elevated the final result. I highly recommend her services and am grateful for the wonderful collaboration.”

The Back Room

Sarah Sullivan — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:56:24 +0000

The Back Room

The Back Room is a live, online event and a community forum where authors and readers connect in an intimate, conversational setting.

The brand design draws inspiration from the speakeasy era, with saturated colors, dramatic mood, and fonts/iconography that nod to Art Deco without slipping into cliché. This creates a distinctive, memorable atmosphere that reflects the event’s exclusive, behind-the-scenes feel.

The Back Room website was designed to be both visually striking and effortless to navigate. It carries through the brand’s saturated color palette in a way that feels bold but never heavy, creating an inviting atmosphere. The site also includes a custom registration system with an integrated “add-to-calendar” feature, ensuring a seamless experience for participants from sign-up to event day.

In 2026, The Back Room launched After Hours at the Back Room, a private Substack with author profiles and event recaps, book recommendations, and exclusive author video interviews. We created a sub brand for this new venture which played off the original palette and added new visual identity elements and social media templates.

Services

Email marketing: Designed and created branded email campaigns, including seasonal announcements and event reminders.
Social media content: Created platform-specific graphics and posts for event announcements, season kick-offs, and day-of reminders. To keep the feed engaging and on-brand, I also curated and shared vintage images of Old Hollywood stars reading, reinforcing the event’s speakeasy-inspired aesthetic.
Event graphics & video: Developed custom graphics and waiting room videos for each event. These elements extended the brand experience into the live event itself, setting the tone for participants from the moment they log in.
Technical event management: Oversaw the production of each Zoom event, including highlighting speakers on screen, creating and managing breakout rooms, and smoothly moving authors between sessions. This ensures the technology supports, rather than distracts from, the intimate, conversational atmosphere
Substack management: Wrote and published book recommendation roundups and author profiles for substack along with creating social media graphics.

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

Sarah Sullivan — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 22:20:26 +0000

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

Led all in-house design efforts as Communications Manager for the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, a leading AIDS research center in Cambridge, MA.

Designed and developed Institute website to coincide with launch of new institute in 2009. Subsequently was promoted to Communications Manager and developed and designed a company intranet site and various subsidiary websites. Maintained all Ragon-affiliated sites including writing news items, art-directing photo shoots and maintaining personnel profiles.
Acted as press and media liaison, providing photos and quotes to press, coordinating interview schedules, and giving final
publication approval.
Developed promotional materials for Institute: study fliers for patient recruitment, conference displays, donor gifts, and annual reports.
Encouraged senior management to publish an annual report and, for three years, oversaw all aspects of publication including curating and writing articles, designing layout, art-directing photoshoots, etc.
Was recruited to develop visual identities for Ragon-affiliated programs based in South Africa which established the foundation for building legitimacy for the programs in the AIDS research field.
Established and managed Institute social media platforms. Actively pursued news items within the institute, including photographing events, and writing posts.

Intellezy Consulting

Sarah Sullivan — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 04:35:50 +0000

Intellezy Consulting

Partnered with the leadership team at Intellezy Consulting, a Massachusetts-based e-learning platform serving both individuals and corporations, to design and develop a fresh, modern website that reflects their collaborative and approachable brand.

Using WordPress, I customized a theme to align with their goals and sourced stock imagery that highlights diversity and approachability, key values of their business.

The site incorporates dynamic elements, thoughtful use of white space, and clear navigation to keep the user experience engaging and intuitive. The result is a clean, professional website that positions Intellezy as both innovative and welcoming in the online learning space.

Seapoint Digital

Sarah Sullivan — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 02:08:06 +0000

Seapoint Digital

Worked with the digital marketing team of Seapoint Digital, a Maine-based marketing agency, to design digital ads and printed marketing materials or clients in the medical insurance industry.

Developed 20+ digital and print ads per month for their clients in the medical insurance field. Optimize digital assets for different platforms, ensuring proper resolution, file size, and other technical specifications.
Designed six-page bi-annual benefits brochure for Prudential.
Created 5-piece direct mail package for travel insurance company including bi-fold brochure, membership card, and custom envelope.
Designed banners for social media and e-newsletters as well as digital ads for Google, website, and blogs.
Developed a strategic wireframe for agency redesign to improve user experience (UX) and engagement.

Muskrat Lodge Writer’s Retreat

Sarah Sullivan — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 02:57:57 +0000

Muskrat Lodge Writers Retreat

Muskrat Lodge is a multi-day retreat hosted by best-selling author Karen Dionne and a rotating group of guest instructors. Attendees receive guidance and support for their work and are able to relax in a peaceful setting, free of distraction and filled with inspiration.

The brand uses a soothing palette of sage green, pale blue, and soft gold that reflects the peaceful nature of the environment. The typography of the logo is classic with the fun twist of nestled letter forms. palette ⁠We also created several badge logos using the name as well as the tagline “Where words flow like water.” Nature illustrations of muskrats, pine cones, and a heron, all emblematic of the retreat location, are used throughout the brand collateral and website.

We also built a full suite of social media templates which they can use to announce their retreat sessions and build excitement.

The Muskrat Lodge website features a detailed retreat program, information about the instructors, accommodations, and registration logistics. It even has an informative private attendees page for each retreat where authors can upload their manuscript.

Deer Cove Beach Resort

Sarah Sullivan — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 22:49:37 +0000

Deer Cove Beach

Deer Cove Beach is a family owned resort in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They wanted a refreshed website with a colorful palette and a beautiful, functional website.

The brand uses a stylized deer mascot in various formations: full logo, round seal, and badge style which are reminiscent of vintage Boy Scout badges. The palette of teal, green, and yellow reflects the active, fun environment to appeal to a new generation of visitors.

The website is built in Squarespace, making it easy to update and uses automated booking software and highlights the cabins, activities, history, and environment.

Samantha Falk Communications

Sarah Sullivan — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 22:40:43 +0000

Samantha Falk Communications

Former broadcast journalist, Samantha Falk launched her own communications company but needed a brand and website which reflected the years of experience she brought to her clients.

We designed this brand with a classic font and thoughtful elements to make it special and memorable.

The Samantha Falk website was built on Squarespace and used a marble background to denote luxury and stability.

Karen Dionne, Author

Sarah Sullivan — Fri, 27 May 2022 16:47:55 +0000

Karen Dionne, Author

Best selling author Karen Dionne wanted a new, modern website which was structured to encourage visitors to stay longer on her site and explore.⁠
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We built a clean, modern brand and website which reflect the wilderness setting of her novels: forest green and autumn gold. ⁠
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We used a golden wood texture as the background for various sections, as well as images of the iconic Tahquamenon Falls.⁠

"Thanks for the update! I can already see that visitors are spending more time on my website,"

Katie Langevin, Realtor

Sarah Sullivan — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 19:24:05 +0000

Katie Langevin, REaltor

Boston Realtor, Katie Langevin, was looking for a professional website which highlighted her listings and services.

We built this website on Squarespace with a palette of blues, perfect for this ocean-side city realtor.⁠ Her listings are embedded using the IDX from her company, Jack Conway Realtors.

Katie’s logo is simple but effective with that cute little house icon in the middle. And we created a brand mark with the house icon in the middle and the text circling it.