SmugMug

Defining a unified visual language for SmugMug’s digital ecosystem.
roles
Art Direction, Design, Motion
deliverables
Design System
Platforms
Web
Year
2021
SmugMug is an all-in-one platform that empowers photographers by offering browsing, storage and sales engines.
With a rapidly growing team launching new products in silo, SmugMug's visual language became sporadic and inconsistent. They needed assistance in defining a comprehensive and holistic overhaul of their entire visual language. The resulting design system, Dimension, was to provide a foundation that could scale across the entire ecosystem and at every touchpoint.
Inspired by Users

We were inspired by the unique sensitivity of photographers and their ability to see the world in different perspectives. Through composition, subject and focus, photographers are able to tell a story in a single frame.

We synthesized these core aspects of photography into design elements that formed the ethos of SmugMug’s product ecosystem.

How does this translate
to an interface?

Space

Space acts as the environment in which all other elements are housed. Whether it be a container or a boundary, space informs the flow of which the interface is used.

components

From text to imagery, sliders to folders - the components build up the entire UI environment. It’s what you see and interact with on the page.

Glass

Glass represents the material that can draw focus to a specific component or blur out secondary elements. The digital manifestation of how a camera lens can dictate what’s clear in the view.

The Science
of Design

To ensure visual consistency, we crafted the design system using the Atomic Approach. This method provides designers with a usable framework to scale their ecosystem.

Modular Components

Modular components give designers the flexibility to instantly swap components within existing designs, as well as create new variants with ease. On a template level, it is especially powerful to communicate new flows or product tweaks.

In other words, we brought their
existing design language into...
We meticulously crafted hundreds of modular components
458
Atoms
112
Molecules
76
Organisms
18
Templates
28
Pages
*drumroll please*
A New Dimension
Using the Dimension design system, we were able to reinvent their existing product experience.
introducing
SmugMug
Built with Dimension

Immersive Framing

Using the element of Focus, we wanted to ensure that every viewing experience was powerful and purposeful. The lightbox allows the photo to fill the screen and bring the user into the image, while reserving dedicated space for all available actions.

Stay on top of your business, wherever
you are.

The new web app is designed responsively to ensure professionals can always tend to their business. The Stats allow users to analyze their best & worst performers and make changes on-the-go to optimize sales.

Effortless organization

Quickly batch-add photos to any album by drag-and-dropping them into the side menu for immediate action. Alternatively, you can add all selected items to a new or existing folder or album from the toolbar.

Smart Search

Find your photos organically and immediately by using SmugMug's Smart Search, powered by Amazon's Rekognition API. With the power of machine learning, users can find what they're looking for in seconds.

Credits

Art direction

Newton Lam

Design System

Newton Lam
Erick Hernandez

project manager

James Green

editor

Robert Kennedy

motion

Ben White

Photography

Unsplash