Watershed Press
Client: Watershed Press (formerly a part of Cascadia Poetics LAB), Seattle, WA
Scope: Brand identity refinement, website design & development, content migration, donation pathways
Role: Design, UX, front-end implementation
Platform: Squarespace (2025 migration from an earlier WordPress site developed for Cascadia Poetics LAB)
Timeline: April 2023 - August 2025 (initial WordPress site → independent Squarespace platform)
URL: watershedpress.org
Context: I began working with Watershed Press while it was still operating under Cascadia Poetics LAB, initially designing a WordPress website and foundational brand elements in 2023. As the press grew and formally separated, the project evolved into a full platform redesign—rebuilding the site in Squarespace to support independent publishing, fundraising, and long-term growth.
The Challenge: As Watershed Press established itself as an independent nonprofit publisher, it needed a website that could stand on its own—distinct from Cascadia Poetics LAB while remaining visually aligned. The press was in its early stages, with a small but growing catalog, and needed a site that could support publications, donations, events, and future growth without feeling sparse or provisional.
The Solution: I designed and developed a new Squarespace website that translated Watershed Press’s mission into a cohesive, scalable digital system.
Key design decisions included:
Migrating legacy content from Cascadia Poetics LAB into a focused, press-specific structure
Creating an immersive visual language using landscape photography by Nathan Wirth, reinforcing the press’s bioregional identity
Designing enlarged book imagery and flexible layouts to present a small catalog with visual presence and balance
Establishing clear navigation for books, submissions, events, and organization information
To support the press’s nonprofit model, I also impemented multiple donation pathways:
Book purchases with optional donation add-ons
A dedicated donation landing page with tiered incentives (including book rewards)
Clear calls to action that balance fundraising with editorial integrity
The result is a site that feels grounded, intentional, and ready to grow—supporting Watershed Press’s mission to amplify voices deeply connected to place, sustainability, and Indigenous approaches to navigating ecological and political changes in the Cascadia bioregion.
What This Project Demonstrates
Brand differentiation within an existing literary ecosystem
Designing perceived abundance and clarity for early-stage organizations
Integrating e-commerce and nonprofit fundraising without compromising tone
Building a flexible system that can evolve with future publications.
