Design for Purpose.

Hey, Dooley fans! We’re beaming to share our first post on the Dooley Design Group blog, The Balanced Marketer.

We believe design goes far beyond making “pretty pictures” — it’s about creating meaningful connections, telling impactful stories, and leaving a positive mark on the communities we serve. This blog will be a creative space to share those stories, along with insights and lessons we’ve learned over the years.

The belief that design should authentically resonate is at the core of what we do. Design isn’t just how something looks – it’s how it works, communicates, and connects. We believe that good design evokes recognition, trust, belonging, and purpose.

This philosophy is deeply rooted in the transformational leadership of Dooley Design Group CEO and founder, Keira Dooley, who dedicated her design career to transforming schools, nonprofit organizations and other businesses with over 25 years of experience in traditional marketing, digital marketing, SEO, higher education marketing, online learning, nonprofit communication, and digital accessibility. Keira has built the Dooley Design Group team on a foundation of authenticity, collaboration, and purpose.

Dooley’s dedication to purpose-driven work is rooted in a history of advocacy for inclusivity and a passionate calling to create with meaning and build with intention. Her commitment to digital inclusion was demonstrated early in her career during her participation in the CalState Accessible Technology Initiative in 2001-2003. It wasn’t just another technical project; it was an opportunity to initiate a movement towards inclusive digital spaces for all. Her contributions to writing the digital accessibility guidelines for CalState Long Beach to ensure that the web is accessible to all, irrespective of individual abilities, was a cornerstone in shaping the principles upon which Dooley Design Group operates.

Our blog, The Balanced Marketer, will also feature educational resources and tips on digital accessibility, usability and accessible design.

Designing for purpose means seeing the big picture. Every project we take on is a collaboration — between our team, our clients, and the communities we serve. By fostering these connections, we aim to create work that not only achieves its goals but uplifts those it touches.

Our commitment to accessibility and community impact shines through in our projects. Whether revamping websites for nonprofits or enhancing educational technology, we design with both form and function in mind, ensuring every interaction is as meaningful as it is seamless.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift occurred. Dooley realized that the world truly needed our gifts. We responded to crisis and need for nonprofit organizations and helped small businesses scale up during difficult times.

The transformative growth marketing work was successful for these key reasons:

1. Cross-Team Collaboration – Every project was a collaboration – between our team, our clients, and the communities we served.
2. Big Picture Thinking – We designed for purpose with the big picture in mind. By understanding the client’s goals, the tools we could use to achieve them, the big picture vision for the process and how everything works together, we achieved remarkable results, increasing client SEO results as well as their ROI.
3. Accessible Design & Development – Our team remained committed to digital accessibility – creating designs and developing websites that were welcoming and usable for all.
4. Creative Storytelling and Graphics – With a focus on authenticity and purpose, our designs didn’t just look good – they felt connected and meaningful. Our creative team allowed their web designs to flow out of the box, often with hand-drawn elements, modern shapes, and carefully selected typography, accompanied by effective content for both informative pages or blog storytelling.

This blog will be a space to celebrate the stories behind the hard work, explore trends in design, and share lessons we’ve learned. Together, let’s push the boundaries of what design and technology can do and make a difference in our communities.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of purposeful design. Stay tuned for more stories where creativity meets impact.