Discover Our Eco-Friendly Jewellery

About Red Leaf Jewellery: A Critical Reflection

Creating the Red Leaf Jewellery website has been both a creative and personal journey, one that has prompted me to exercise design and resilience. What began as academic project became the catalyst for something I had been putting off for a long time: developing my own jewellery business. This project pushed me to move beyond hesitation and immerse myself in learning through experimenting, failing, and adapting. Building this digital identity became the starting point for what I now see as the foundation of a future personal business.

Learning Through Design Practice

Early stages of the project revealed weaknesses in layout, hierarchy, and balance. Initial drafts were visually dense and lacked clarity, prompting engagement with Hagen and Golombisky’s White Space Is Not Your Enemy (2017). Their assertion that “design is visual communication, not decoration” informed the transition toward minimalism and guided decisions about visual rhythm, white space, and proportion. The authors’ discussion of “layout sins” such as trapped white space and poor alignment became practical checkpoints for improvement.

Through experimentation, the website’s visual structure came to reflect the brand’s core values of care, simplicity, and sustainability. Design restraint was understood not as limitation but as a communicative strategy, aligning aesthetic clarity with the brands character. This stage of development confirmed that clarity and coherence are achieved through refinement and purposeful editing rather than accumulation.

Adapting and Building the Site Architecture

The structure of the website was shaped by constant adaptation. Working within the boundaries of website builder meant I had to be flexible. Some layouts didn’t translate well between desktop and mobile, and certain features I imagined weren’t technically possible. Initially, this felt frustrating during the roadblocks and experimental phase, but it taught me an important lesson: creativity often grows from constraints.

Hagen and Golombisky’s concept of “functional hierarchy” helped me see how structure and usability are just as important as visual beauty. By simplifying the navigation and focusing on readability, I created a more seamless experience for the user. This adaptability reflected the same sustainable principles behind the brand, designing with purpose, balance, and efficiency.

Gender, Emotion, and the Website’s Look

As the design developed, I also reflected on how femininity appears in digital spaces. Red Leaf Jewellery naturally carries a soft, organic aesthetic — warm tones, rounded edges, and emotional storytelling. After reading Friz’s (2016) Pinning the Feminine User, I started thinking about how these stylistic elements can both reflect and reinforce gendered norms online and how this would impact my brand in the jewellery space.

At first, my design unintentionally followed many of those patterns, gentle colours and delicate imagery. But instead of rejecting them, I reinterpreted them. I wanted the website to feel feminine but strong, calm yet confident. Phrases like “Choose pieces that tell your story” encourage individuality and self-expression. This helped me understand that design can honour traditional aesthetics while still challenging stereotypes, giving users space to connect emotionally and personally.

Understanding Hidden Systems

James Bridle’s New Dark Age (2018) made me think differently about what lies beneath the surface of the internet. I realised that every digital choice carries unseen consequences — from data storage to energy use. This awareness shaped how I approached my website’s backend. I learned to optimise image sizes to reduce energy load, add alt-text for accessibility, and use consistent formatting to improve navigation.

My earlier mistakes, domain editing, template editing, missing accessibility features,  became part of the learning curve. Bridle’s ideas reminded me that ethical design extends beyond aesthetics; it’s also about being responsible with the systems that sustain our digital world.

Self-Learning Through AI Systems

A key part of this journey was self-learning through AI tools. I used AI to help with brainstorming, refining copy, and testing different design directions. At first, it was challenging, understanding how to prompt the system, interpret its outputs, and stay critical of what it produced, and how new AI tools worked. But over time, I learned how to use AI as a creative partner rather than a shortcut.

This process of prompting, refining, and iterating became an unexpected form of digital literacy. It taught me patience and adaptability, and it showed me that even with advanced technology, the human touch, intuition, taste, and emotion, remains vital. I will continue to work on this and develop a more nuanced tone with raw human refinements. Working with AI also mirrored the project’s larger theme of experimentation: learning by doing, revising through trial and error, and staying open to discovery.

Some of the AI tools and programs I learn through the task of this website project have been invaluable. they have shown me new possibilities and transferable skills to my work and personal projects.

From Project to Business Catalyst

What makes this project personally meaningful is that it reignited a goal I’d been postponing starting my own jewellery business. Red Leaf Jewellery had been an idea sitting in the back of my mind for some time, originally named after the local beach that is a tucked away gem in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. But I never felt ready to act on it. This assignment became the push I needed to begin. Building the website gave my business idea a tangible starting point, a digital identity that made it real. Through this process, I not only built a website but also began building momentum. 

Sustainability

The concept of sustainability guided the design process, not just in the products I want to represent but the brands digital identity. The site embraces a “slow web” approach: calm colours, clear information, and space for storytelling. Rather than chasing trends or urgency, I wanted the user experience to feel grounded and meaningful.

Sarah Banet-Weiser’s idea of authenticity work helped me frame this approach. Being transparent about materials, values, and process builds trust and connection. The more I worked on the site, the more I saw that sustainability isn’t just an aesthetic it’s a mindset that shapes how we create and communicate.

Reflection

Hagen and Golombisky taught me the value of clarity; Friz encouraged me to think critically about representation; Bridle deepened my awareness of ethics and hidden systems; and self-learning through AI strengthened my confidence to experiment and grow.

Red Leaf Jewellery now exists as more than a concept, it’s the beginning of a business and a reflection of what I’ve learned through practice. This experience reminded me that design is not just about creating visuals; it’s about shaping meaning, identity, and possibility. Through trial and error, adaptability, and reflection, I found both my creative rhythm and the first step toward something I’ve always wanted to build.