Founding Bahari Blu: A Story of Creativity, Sustainability, and UX
Thinking Holistically about Business, Design and Human Behaviour
INTRODUCTION
I’ve always been drawn to the ocean and to making things by hand. As a child, I spent hours beachcombing with my grandpa - wandering along the beach, sifting through rock pools, and searching for shells.​​
​At home, I would lose myself in making jewellery -experimenting with designs, learning techniques, and loving the creative process.
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As a result of these two passions, I founded Bahari Blu - an ocean-themed sustainable jewellery brand. What started as a creative outlet, soon became much more than that.
Bahari Blu became a hands-on lesson in human-centered design, digital strategy, and the power of storytelling.​​​​
Photo: Sophie beachcombing with her grandpa.
Photo: Sophie making jewellery out of her beach finds.
THE WORK
Photos: Bahari Blu Jewellery designs.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
Over the last 5 years I have scaled Bahari Blu from a passion project into a successful business. Key achievements include:
USER RESEARCH
Rewind to the beginning
Before getting carried away with the fun of new jewellery designs, I started by researching my potential customers. Who they were, what motivated their buying decisions, and what they expected from a sustainable jewellery brand.
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To do this, I conducted:
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User research: Insights from customer conversations, social media engagement, and feedback on early designs helped shape the brand’s messaging and product offerings.
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Competitor analysis: I studied similar brands to identify gaps in their UX and marketing approaches.
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Live market testing: Attending in-person markets allowed me to observe customer reactions first-hand, refine designs based on real-time feedback, and better understand buying behaviours.
What I learnt
Context: My first designs were made with sea glass, which I collected at the beach. Sea glass is broken glass that has been washed into the ocean and rubbed smooth after many years of sand and wave movement.
Photo: Example of sea glass collected at the beach.
DIGITAL
Building a website
With an understanding of my audience, I used Wix to build a website with a focus on usability and conversion optimisation. Key UX considerations included:​​
Conversion-optimised product pages
Intuitive navigation
Structuring information architecture so customers could easily find and explore product.
High-quality imagery, engaging copy, and clear calls to action.
CMS integration
Allowing for easy content updates and inventory management.
Design decisions
VISUAL
Creative direction
Brand
I enjoyed using my eye for design to create a brand that would help tell the story behind the ocean-themed jewellery
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I maintained brand consistency across digital and physical touchpoints by aligning the logo, colours, and sustainable packaging.
Videography
Using funding I secured from a start-up incubator program, I directed a brand video campaign to tell the story of Bahari Blu and enhance credibility.
Photography
With the incubator funding, I organised a professional photoshoot by coordinating models, securing brand collaborations for styling, and directing the shoot. This included lots of problem-solving, as strong wind and rain arrived on the day of the outdoor shoot!
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Despite the conditions, we were able to get some beautiful shots:
Photos: Shots from the professional photography shoot.
VISIBILITY
How to be seen?
Building an online store was just the beginning; attracting customers to Bahari Blu required a strong digital presence. I developed a multi-channel marketing strategy to shape the brand experience, including:
Social media content with
100K+ views
Media articles in
Targeted publications
Collabs with influencers with
43.4K followers
GROWTH
Beyond design
As the business scaled, I took on new challenges beyond UX and marketing, gaining invaluable leadership experience:​​
Pitching & funding
I successfully pitched Bahari Blu in an incubator start-up programme, securing the maximum grant to scale.
Sustainable supply chain management
I ensured ethical material sourcing and production, reinforcing the brand’s core values.
​​Hiring & managing
I recruited and managed my first employee, gaining hands-on leadership and delegation experience.
KEY OUTCOMES
REFELECTION
What I have learnt
​Building Bahari Blu taught me that UX is about more than just wireframes and usability testing - it’s about creating experiences that connect with people on an emotional level.
It’s about balancing business goals with user needs, creativity with strategy, and storytelling with design.
These are the principles I carry into every UX project I take on today.
