the spark isn't the whole story

before the spark

It starts by searching for a great problem to solve. I'm always on the lookout for pet peeves, inefficiencies, and major pain points for myself, my community, and people I see out and about. I collect nuggets of ideas from just about everywhere. Sometimes these observations lead to big design ideas. Other times they just give me a question to ponder. In this case, that question was: how can I improve LGBTQ+ wellbeing?

pow!

Inspiration can strike in the strangest ways. While watching the early 2000’s classic queer comedy, But I’m a Cheerleader, I remembered a conversation about parents struggling to support their queer children. What if parents had something like a summer camp for learning to be allies and raise LGBTQ+ children?

who am i helping?

Now that I had a problem I wanted to solve, I had to understand who I was solving it for. Audience empathy is my number one priority in any project. Building personas based on research and conversations always helps me to connect with the "who" behind any project. For BrightHouse, my "who" was parents of LGBTQ+ tweens, teens, and young adults. Empathizing with real people in these roles helped me to get a grasp on their struggles with adjusting to queer identity in their homes. If I could help parents with those struggles, then I could in turn improve LGBTQ+ wellbeing by creating stronger support systems for queer youth.

what's the big idea?

Once I understand my problem and audience, I’m still not quite ready to design. Everything's better with a concept, and for BrightHouse, it’s right in the name. Stemming from the idea that this brand is a beacon of light leading parents to safer shores, I developed it into a nonprofit with four branches of programming. From workshops to retreats to mobile resource vans, each program brought a different experiential learning opportunity to guide parents and loved ones of queer people.

try, try again

With all the pieces in place, now it’s time to design! Content always comes first, and always stems from the research. When I have content to work with, getting something rough out there is important. Sometimes you need to try baby pink to realize that this brand must NEVER touch baby pink with a ten foot pole. Consulting lots of people is a must. Try this font, show a classmate. Switch up the website navigation, have a roommate test it out. Rework the brand architecture, consult a mentor for clarity. I never want a typo, unclear headline, or accidental copycat logo to slip through the cracks! 

the goods

After a long, thorough process, it’s time to sit back and let the work do its thing. It can be tempting to push pixels around for eternity, but I always have to remember the problem I’m solving. If I never get the work out, what good can it do?

before the spark

It starts by searching for a great problem to solve. I'm always on the lookout for pet peeves, inefficiencies, and major pain points for myself, my community, and people I see out and about. I collect nuggets of ideas from just about everywhere. Sometimes these observations lead to big design ideas. Other times they just give me a question to ponder. In this case, that question was: how can I improve LGBTQ+ wellbeing?

pow!

Inspiration can strike in the strangest ways. While watching the early 2000’s classic queer comedy, But I’m a Cheerleader, I remembered a conversation about parents struggling to support their queer children. What if parents had something like a summer camp for learning to be allies and raise LGBTQ+ children?

who am i helping?

Now that I had a problem I wanted to solve, I had to understand who I was solving it for. Audience empathy is my number one priority in any project. Building personas based on research and conversations always helps me to connect with the "who" behind any project. For BrightHouse, my "who" was parents of LGBTQ+ tweens, teens, and young adults. Empathizing with real people in these roles helped me to get a grasp on their struggles with adjusting to queer identity in their homes. If I could help parents with those struggles, then I could in turn improve LGBTQ+ wellbeing by creating stronger support systems for queer youth.

what's the big idea?

Once I understand my problem and audience, I’m still not quite ready to design. Everything's better with a concept, and for BrightHouse, it’s right in the name. Stemming from the idea that this brand is a beacon of light leading parents to safer shores, I developed it into a nonprofit with four branches of programming. From workshops to retreats to mobile resource vans, each program brought a different experiential learning opportunity to guide parents and loved ones of queer people.

try, try again

With all the pieces in place, now it’s time to design! Content always comes first, and always stems from the research. When I have content to work with, getting something rough out there is important. Sometimes you need to try baby pink to realize that this brand must NEVER touch baby pink with a ten foot pole. Consulting lots of people is a must. Try this font, show a classmate. Switch up the website navigation, have a roommate test it out. Rework the brand architecture, consult a mentor for clarity. I never want a typo, unclear headline, or accidental copycat logo to slip through the cracks! 

the goods

After a long, thorough process, it’s time to sit back and let the work do its thing. It can be tempting to push pixels around for eternity, but I always have to remember the problem I’m solving. If I never get the work out, what good can it do?

© Eleni Cooper Design 2026.

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