WTF Just Happened?!: A Brand for the Science-Minded Skeptic Exploring the Afterlife
CLIENT
WTF Just Happened?! / Elizabeth Entin
DATE
2021-2024
INDUSTRY
Media / Publishing / Podcast
SCOPE
Logo suite, book covers, Squarespace website and brand guidelines.
Project Overview
Liz Entin started WTF Just Happened?! as a deeply personal passion project following the sudden loss of her father. What began as a search for meaning and healing became a skeptical-yet-open-minded exploration of afterlife evidence, grief processing, and spiritual phenomena — all told through a scientific lens.
The challenge? Building a visual brand that could hold both sides of that coin: thoughtful and science-driven, but also warm, human, and a little irreverent.
Objectives
Create a visual identity that bridges the rational and the metaphysical
Design book covers that are eye-catching, a bit cheeky, and tonally aligned with the subject matter
Develop a brand system that supports books, podcast, and web content
Build a Squarespace website to introduce the brand and guide people into the ecosystem
WTF Just Happened logo suite and color palette.
My Role & Deliverables
As the sole designer on the project, I handled all visual direction and execution across print and digital, including:
Logo Suite: A mix of scrawled serif and clean sans-serif type in a stylized thought bubble, expressing both curiosity and clarity
Color Palette: Slightly unexpected pastels and soft neutrals — modern, approachable, and just offbeat enough to stand out
Book Covers (Vol 1 & 2): Designed layouts and selected imagery to strike a humorous but thoughtful tone. The first cover was built around a stock image of a shrugging skeleton I sourced; the second used AI-generated imagery for continuity
Brand Guidelines: A detailed PDF outlining logo usage, typography, palette, and usage examples for social and print
Website Design: Custom-designed and implemented via Squarespace with a clean, inviting layout and navigation
Design Approach
The tone was key — nothing too woo-woo, nothing too clinical. Just like Liz’s writing, the brand needed to feel intelligent, open, emotionally honest, and just a little weird.
We leaned into minimalism and whitespace, with carefully selected fonts and colors to keep the design modern and readable. The skeleton motif on the book covers added a hit of unexpected humor — a way to nod to the subject matter without getting too dark or sentimental.
WTF book covers
Tools & Workflow
Design: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
Web Build: Squarespace
Collaboration: Fully remote with iterative feedback via email and Google Drive
WTF Just Happened?! launch website.
Results & Impact
The brand system has remained consistent across books, podcast, and digital presence
Liz successfully published the first two books and continues to use the branding across platforms
Feedback from Liz and her audience has affirmed that the visual identity “perfectly captures the vibe” of the project
The identity continues to support Liz’s voice and presence as she expands her work in the grief and afterlife space
Mini teaser book – ebook only
Why This Project Matters
This case study showcases my ability to visually articulate complex emotional tones, build a flexible brand system across media formats, and guide a client from abstract concept to launch-ready visuals. It also highlights my capacity to inject personality into serious subject matter — without sacrificing professionalism or clarity.
Testimonial
“My brand was not easily portrayed visually, but Amanda captured it perfectly and it looks amazing!
She was really thorough, starting with a long and in-depth questionnaire that not only helped her understand my brand, but helped me understand it better. She was really communicative and collaborative too.