Kakiseni Homepage Directions by Rudzainy Rahman

The brief

Kakiseni is an arts and events platform in Southeast Asia. The brief wasn't "make the homepage prettier." It was narrower and harder than that: get more venues and organisers to actually submit their listings. So the homepage has one real job. It has to sell submitting, not just browsing.

I set a few constraints before touching a layout. Mobile-first, because that's how most people arrive. Seven arts disciplines, each colour-coded so you can read the mix at a glance. A submission funnel that earns its place on the homepage instead of hiding on some /submit page: benefits, reach numbers, a couple of testimonials. And a pricing ladder kept deliberately plain, three rungs: Free Listing, Featured Listing around RM3,000, Partnership around RM10,000. For the scaffolding I reached for a Batik design system I already had lying around. That was a speed decision, not a design statement. It let me prototype fast and argue about the real thing: the layout.

Three directions

Then I drew three homepage directions, each one across mobile, tablet and desktop.

1a · Weekend first

Direction 1a: listings lead, colour dialled back, featured shows as poster cards — 1a, Weekend first: listings lead, colour dialled back.

The listings lead. Colour dialled right back, featured shows sitting inline as big poster cards, the organiser pitch tucked into a sidebar on desktop. Built for the person who showed up looking for something to do this weekend. Serve them first, sell to them second.

1b · The cover

Direction 1b: Miriam Omar artwork full-bleed, seven disciplines as blocks, editorial rows — 1b, The cover: artwork full-bleed, disciplines as blocks.

Miriam Omar's artwork runs full-bleed across the top, like a magazine cover. The seven disciplines line up as blocks underneath, listings fall into three-up editorial rows, and the desktop hero splits into two columns. This one leads with mood before it leads with function.

1c · Two doors

Direction 1c: split screen for audiences and organisers, reach strip, three pricing tiers — 1c, Two doors: audiences and organisers, split down the middle.

The homepage splits down the middle: audiences on one side, organisers on the other. A reach strip between them carrying the numbers, and the three pricing tiers laid out three-across. It's the most literal answer to the brief. Here's your door, here's your door.

I'm not going to tell you which one wins. I genuinely haven't decided, and that's the honest part. Each one solves the same problem from a different angle: one leads with the listings, one with the art, one with the choice. So I'll leave it with you. Which door would you walk through?