Föreningen för Psykedelisk Terapi
Scope and background
Föreningen för Psykedelisk Terapi is an association with the purpose to support the safe and ethical establishment of psychedelic therapies in Swedish healthcare. By offering a network for professionals and working to increase knowledge about psychedelic therapy, the association strives to improve the accessibility and quality of psychedelic treatment methods.
Scope:
Identify and develop the client's brand identity and visual expression.
Build a website based on the established brand design.
Recommend and assist with first drafts of social media content.
Team
Myself, with support from the graphic designer responsible for the logo.
My role
UX designer, web designer, content creator
Methodologies & Process
Brand Design Workshop with the board of the association.
Collaboratively designing and iterating brand identity, website aesthetics, and social media content.
Challenge
The association is established but has no public presence.
To make a controversial topic feel accessible and trustful..
Workshop
The workshop was conducted in a light and concise manner, firstly establishing psychological safety. We were looking at competitor sites that they liked and didn’t like, and I was encouraged to create freely based on a simple request: a website and design that makes a controversial topic feel calm, safe, and credible:
“We aim to convey a stable, scientifically grounded, and professional impression, but with a soft, human, calm, and simple aesthetic.”
Regarding the visual language, one guiding phrase that emerged was:
"Sunrays thawing the frozen. Branches, small buds, a glimpse of something growing."
Initially, when frosty images were chosen, one board member felt that the content made him feel cold, so I shifted to a more spring inspired theme with sunshine, buds, and blossoms instead. The emphasis remained on "something growing." and was well received.
Final website
Social Media content template
Learnings
Establishing psychological safety and transparent and honest communication, both initially but also along the way, inviting the client into each decision and slight change created an environment for trust, experimentation and fast iteration.
I strongly believe this leads to better UX solutions because ideas can evolve without fear of rejection from both sides. An environment real prone to optimization.
I also realized full creative freedom can fuel innovation, and that the balance lies again in fostering open communication and constructive small cycle feedback