Ignite

The Ignite Collective is a global engine of "Igniters"—top-tier cultural curators and innovators who keep premier brands relevant.

Despite their influence on culture, their internal digital infrastructure was fragmented, relying on manual processes that slowed down their ability to scale and communicate.

Problem / Challenge

The network faced a significant digital bottleneck. There was no central hub for high-level contributor feedback, and the membership funnel was disorganized. To maintain their reputation as "cutting-edge," they needed a digital presence that felt as vibrant and forward-thinking as the community it served, all while facing an incredibly tight launch window.

Goals / Objectives

• Launch a comprehensive digital platform within a 6-week window.
• Streamline the membership growth funnel and recruitment process.
• Establish a "vibrant, sketchy, and high-contrast" visual language that resonated with a young, trend-setting audience.
• Create a cohesive communication kit to bridge the gap between the platform and the inbox.

My Role & Collaborators

As the Creative Director, I led the architectural overhaul and visual direction. I worked closely with the internal team to translate their cultural insights into a functional digital product, overseeing everything from motion graphics to systemic email design.

Process & Key Decisions

The Strategic Pivot (Discovery & Strategy)With a 4–6 week timeline, building a bespoke back-end from scratch was a risk to the launch date. I made the strategic decision to utilize a Webflow framework. This allowed us to bypass lengthy development cycles and focus the majority of our energy on the "soul" of the site—the architecture and the visual experience.

Designing for Energy (Design & Delivery)The aesthetic needed to feel "alive." I directed a suite of new visual assets, including motion graphics and video content, utilizing a "sketchy," high-contrast style that felt immediate and authentic rather than overly polished or corporate.

Integrated CommunicationThe build extended beyond the browser. I developed bespoke email templates for recruitment and feedback loops, ensuring the user experience remained consistent from the first touchpoint to active membership.

Key Decisions and Rationale

• Webflow as Foundation: Chosen specifically to meet the aggressive deadline without sacrificing the ability to create a "bold, high-energy" identity.
• The "Sketchy" Aesthetic: Used to signal cultural currency and a "work-in-progress/always-evolving" mindset common in creative circles.
• The Rebrand Pivot: Two years post-launch, I managed the transition to "The Verve Collective." This required a delicate technical and visual audit to align with a new business model and team restructure while maintaining continuity for the existing community.

Outcomes / Impact

The project successfully transformed Ignite’s digital presence from a bottleneck into a professionalized sales and recruitment tool.

• Immediate Growth: The streamlined funnel led to an initial surge in membership applications and successful recruitment.
• Sales Utility: Post-rebrand, the platform has become a primary "up-marketing" tool, used by the leadership team to signal credibility and innovation to high-end corporate clients.
• Longevity: The infrastructure has proved resilient enough to survive a total brand pivot and business model shift, continuing to serve as the collective’s digital headquarters.

Learnings / Reflections

This project reinforced the value of the "speed vs. fidelity" trade-off. By choosing the right technical framework early, we were able to deliver a high-concept aesthetic on a timeline that would have otherwise been impossible. It also highlighted that a digital product’s role can evolve—what started as a community growth tool has successfully transitioned into a powerful B2B sales asset.

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