Elements of Life Institute blends time-tested healing practices with modern understanding to help you achieve balance and wellness. Founded by Dr. David Hone, the institute offers a unique approach to health through MoLian Qigong and Chinese Energetic Medicine.
Project Overview
Elements of Life Institute, founded by Dr. David Hone, offers transformative health and wellness practices through MoLian Qigong and Chinese Energetic Medicine. Despite their success with in-person training, their digital presence wasn’t reflecting their expertise or facilitating growth.
The institute’s Kajabi website had evolved organically with multiple contributors, resulting in inconsistent messaging, confusing navigation, and a disconnected visual identity. These issues were creating barriers for both new visitors seeking to understand their unique approach and existing students trying to access resources.
Motherhaus was engaged to completely reimagine their digital presence while maintaining their existing Kajabi platform – requiring a solution that balanced technical constraints with strategic design.
Process
Our process began with a comprehensive site audit and competitive analysis. We:
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- Documented the entire existing site structure and content
- Facilitated stakeholder workshops to identify priorities and evaluate competitors
- Developed a strategic roadmap addressing both immediate pain points and long-term goals
- Created a detailed implementation plan that worked within Kajabi’s platform constraints
This foundation allowed us to deliver five key improvements:
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- Intuitive Structure: A completely reorganized sitemap creating clear pathways for different user types
- Accessible Language: Technical concepts translated into approachable content without losing depth
- Consistent Messaging: A unified voice across all pages reinforcing MoLian Qigong’s unique approach
- SEO Foundation: Strategically structured content with proper headings, keywords, and metadata
- Visual Hierarchy:Content designed to work seamlessly with the new visual identity system
Visual Identity
The existing logo held deep significance for Dr. Hone as it came to him in a personal vision. Our challenge was to honor this spiritual connection while creating a functional, versatile identity system.
Rather than replacing the original concept, we refined it using golden section proportions and optimized detailing that maintained its symbolic essence while improving legibility across all applications. This respectful evolution preserved the sacred geometry that was central to the institute’s philosophy.
For smaller applications where the detailed logo would be illegible, we extracted the yin-yang helm icon as a signature element. This adaptation preserved the most recognizable and meaningful aspect of the logo while ensuring it remained effective at reduced sizes.
We extended this approach to create a cohesive system of icons representing the five Chinese elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) – following their traditional generative cycle order. Each icon maintained consistent visual language with the primary brand while serving specific communication needs throughout the site.
Digital Experience: Transforming Constraints into Opportunities
Implementing our vision within Kajabi’s platform required creative problem-solving. We developed a comprehensive design system that worked within technical limitations while delivering a transformed user experience.
The homepage was completely reimagined to serve as both welcome and wayfinding, with:
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- Clarified Value Proposition: Immediately communicating the unique benefits of MoLian Qigong
- Intuitive Pathways: Guiding visitors based on their needs (healing, training, or community)
- Progressive Disclosure: Introducing complex concepts gradually to avoid overwhelming new visitors
- Strategic Content Hierarchy: Prioritizing information based on user journey stage
This approach extended through the entire site, including course landing pages and checkout experiences, creating a cohesive journey from first impression to enrollment.
ElementsOfLifeInstitute.comBefore/After
Design Language: Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Accessibility
Our typographic system needed to honor Chinese traditions without resorting to stereotypical “Eastern” styling. We solved this by selecting Noto Sans and Noto Serif – typefaces specifically designed for seamless multilingual compatibility, including Mandarin characters.
This thoughtful choice ensures the design respects traditional wisdom while maintaining contemporary accessibility – a perfect visual expression of the institute’s philosophy of bringing ancient practices into modern context.
The color palette was developed through careful consideration of the client’s connection to ancient traditions across Egypt, Israel, and China. Centered around warm, aged yellows reminiscent of historical manuscripts and imperial artifacts, the system creates immediate visual resonance with concepts of timeless wisdom while maintaining modern digital functionality.
style guide
type guide
Extended Experience: Booking System Integration
To create a seamless user journey, we extended the new design language to the institute’s Jane.app booking system. While maintaining brand consistency, we intentionally modified the color palette to create a subtle visual cue that helps users recognize they’ve entered the appointment scheduling environment.
This thoughtful adaptation ensures clients understand where they are in the process while still experiencing a cohesive brand journey from information-gathering to booking an appointment – maintaining trust through consistent quality at each touchpoint.
Outcomes: A Foundation for Growth
The comprehensive redesign of Elements of Life Institute’s digital presence has established a strong foundation for their continued growth and evolution. Through thoughtful refinement of their visual identity and strategic restructuring of their digital experience, we’ve created:
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- A cohesive brand system that honors their spiritual origins while meeting practical needs
- An intuitive digital journey that makes complex concepts accessible to newcomers
- A scalable framework that can grow alongside their expanding offerings
- A unified experience across platforms that maintains trust at every touchpoint
When Dr. Hone came to us, he shared that while his in-person training was thriving, their digital presence was creating barriers rather than bridges. Now, with a digital experience that authentically reflects their expertise and philosophy, Elements of Life Institute is well-positioned to extend their mission of transforming wellness through MoLian Qigong to a broader audience.
