Case Study
Level 9
Designing Our Own Platform to the Same Standard as Our Clients
Project Mockups
Select below to view mockups as a click-through presentation. Click each screen to advance to the next. This set shows desktop, mobile, menus, personalization, banking login, and content strategies.
Role: Design Director, Lead Designer
Responsibilities: UX/UI Design, Content Strategy, Visual Systems, CMS Definition
Timeline: Late 2020 – Early 2021
Platform: Custom CMS
Overview
Level 9 is a digital agency known for building complex, scalable platforms for clients across regulated and enterprise environments. For many years, however, the agency’s own website lagged behind the rigor and sophistication of the work we delivered for others — a familiar “shoemaker’s children” dynamic.
This project marked a deliberate shift. It was the first time Level 9 committed to applying the same standards, process, and expectations internally that we held for client engagements. The goal was to present the agency with clarity and confidence, and to build a site that functioned as a true marketing and storytelling platform — not just an online brochure.
I served as Design Director and lead designer for the project.
The Internal Challenge
By late 2020, Level 9 had significantly evolved its product offerings, particularly around its custom CMS and reusable platform components. While these capabilities were being actively deployed for clients, they were not being clearly or concisely communicated through the agency’s own digital presence.
The existing site no longer reflected:
The sophistication of the platform we had built
The breadth of design and marketing services we offered
The level of strategic thinking applied across client work
There was also a practical challenge common to internal projects: without a clear structure and timeline, the work risked being perpetually deferred in favor of billable client priorities.
Strategic Approach
From the outset, the decision was made to treat Level9.com exactly as we would a client engagement.
We established:
A defined project scope
A timeline with real milestones
Clear expectations for quality and completeness
I designed the entire site end-to-end before presenting a single concept to the broader team. The initial presentation was delivered in the same format used for client case studies — complete with narrative, structure, and rationale — and received immediate, unanimous buy-in.
The work went beyond interface design. The site was conceived as:
A content strategy and authoring exercise
A clear articulation of service offerings
A demonstration of CMS flexibility and scalability
To support this, I developed multiple color palettes tied to different offering categories — platform, design services, marketing services, and more — allowing the site to communicate structure and intent through visual language as well as content.
Execution
The final site was designed as a modular, content-driven platform that could evolve alongside the agency’s offerings. Key execution elements included:
A clear, hierarchical content structure that explained what Level 9 does and how it does it
Section-based visual systems aligned to specific service offerings
A design system that balanced restraint with clarity, avoiding trend-driven decisions
CMS definitions that supported flexible authoring rather than rigid templates
The mockups presented internally were effectively the finished vision — not exploratory concepts, but a resolved, intentional solution that the team could rally around and execute with confidence.
Outcome & Impact
The launch of Level9.com marked a turning point in how the agency represented itself. For the first time, the website functioned as an active marketing tool rather than a static presence — something the agency had long advocated for clients.
Internally, success was defined by:
Shipping the site on a real timeline
Creating a platform the team was proud to share
Having a digital presence that accurately reflected our capabilities
Externally, the site clearly communicated the depth of Level 9’s design, development, and platform expertise, aligning perception with reality.
The site remains live and in use, continuing to support the agency’s positioning and outreach.
Reflection
This project was about accountability as much as design. Applying the same rigor internally that we expected of client work required focus, restraint, and commitment — but the result was a digital presence that finally matched the standards we had long upheld.
It stands as a reminder that the most meaningful design work often begins by holding your own organization to the bar you set for others.