via
Crafting a cinematic app showcase website on Framer to drive sign ups and help secure venture capital funding
UX/UI Design
framer design & build
d2c
picture this
An early stage dating app startup on a mission to connect people through shared spaces, has a tight startup budget, an undefined visual identity, and a venture capital pitch deadline in 3 weeks. That’s the situation I stepped into when I joined Via to design and build their first website.
I’d worked with via’s founder Olivia Lubeck many times before on projects for her work as a screenwriter and filmmaker. I offered to help develop a one-of-a-kind, show-stopping website for the app to help her secure venture capital funding and ensure that via doesn’t come off as just another dating app.
via is a social exploration platform built to bring serendipity back. via is about romanticizing life, exploring your world, and living in the moment. Then letting the tech turn missed connections into meet cutes.
A dreamy, cinematic, and elevated mobile-first website that builds momentum for via while driving folks to sign up for the waitlist, join the app beta, and follow on socials.
I had already developed a rough site plan, conducted competitive research, and pulled inspiration in a previous exploratory project with Olivia.
While there were a few via brand elements established in the app UI and we had a solid sense of creative direction, a brand system hadn’t been codified yet.
I collaborated with Olivia and her team to solidify via’s visual identity:
expanding the color system to create a warm, vibrant, and retro feel
sourcing new accent typefaces that balanced the editorial, modern display font, making it feel more casual and approachable.
I got to work designing and developing the site on Framer:
writing concise, thematic, cheeky copy
developing minimal but bold components
crafting animations that flow with the brand story without overpowering it.
curating transportative film photography
To drive users to sign up with one minimal button that’s always on screen.
To keep it short and sweet with links to sign up, sign in, and check out our socials.
Using app screens with subtle scroll animations to tie the product into the visual story without feeling overly techie.
Then, I got started with the really fun bit—brainstorming immersive, experiential elements to bring users into the world of via.
The beta app is launching in NYC and LA, so when Olivia showed me one of the social taglines, “reopen sliding doors” I immediately thought of stepping onto a subway car, locking eyes with someone on the platform, only to have the doors close behind you.
What resulted is our loading animation, which is both my and Olivia’s favorite part of the website. The doors slide open…and off you step into the world of via.
On the 404 page, I pulled inspiration from Olivia’s background as a screenwriter to create vignettes that set the scene for new love, life-changing friendship, and community you can count on.
The result: image cards that flip to reveal the first moments of a meet cute.
Time: 2:43 PM
Location: Museum of Modern Art
Narrator: “She can't stop staring at that painting. I can't stop sneaking peeks at her. I should introduce myself before it's too late…”
I also got to lean into the cheeky tone here.
"404: Missed Connection
Sure, we believe in fate, but we're not sure this is where you're meant to be..."
CTA: "Take me home"
Before we started, Olivia had a clear vision and a passion for connecting people. Now she has a marketing tool she’s excited to share, a way to build via’s CRM and capitalize on the momentum of their socials, and guidelines for keeping the brand consistent across platforms.
Plus some concepts I brainstormed for the website that ended up being a better fit for socials and in-person events:
a series of vignettes focusing on mementos from the places you meet: matchboxes, ticket stubs, coasters, festival bracelets, a tote bag from your favorite farmer’s market, a loyalty card from your neighborhood cafe…
symbols of giving fate a hand: cootie catchers, fortune cookies, magic 8 balls, and tarot decks.
embroidering our beloved kissing pigeons from the loading animation on merch as via’s unofficial mascots.
Once the beta app launches and the via budget grows, we’ll be able to pull data and iterate on the site to keep improving conversions and further building out the site.
Olivia and I have a wonderful, highly-communicative working relationship and I look forward to partnering on projects in the future.
Rae is a true swiss army knife. Not only is she fantastic to work with on a personal level, she can work across the eco-system: branding, design, web development. She made one of my crazy ideas come to life and also was able to pivot when I asked. Flexible. Creative. Kind. Communicative. Absolutely recommend. Our web site looks SO good now.
Olivia L.
founder,
via
