Hi! I’m still new to woodworking and need some help planning a project.
I’m looking to build a chair that looks pretty simple but of course, I’m sure there are complexities I’m not considering. How should I go about planning this project? What should I be aware of/consider? Any recommendations for how to do the joints? Youtube links are appreciated 
That is a super cool design! Looking at how it appears to have been done, I can’t imagine it actually supporting a person’s weight (unless it’s a person that doesn’t know about Taco Tuesday 
). There are lots of wood joinery enthusiasts in the shop, so I’ll let those peeps weigh in on that bit, but two random things I’ll contribute:
Another thing you might consider is working with @CLeininger on this in a Woodshop Mentor class! He’s a professional woodworker and is providing classes tailored to whatever the student wants to work on. You can find more info in the class description on asmbly.org/classes.
Use this project as an excuse to learn the Festool Domino.
It would apply directly and have long term payback.
This tool is excellent for joinery.
The joints on the left hand side of the picture are all conventional, and the Domino is indeed a great tool for them.
The three joints on the right hand side (of the picture, left side from the sitter’s perspective) are all odd. The lowest one, connecting the seat, puts all of its force on whatever is connecting them, which isn’t large. I suspect a long metal dowel there.
Any connectors in the upper two joints go into the short span of the middle board. And as designed, these joints will experience a lot of torque. I have no idea how these joints survive that torque with a limited lever arm.
My 2 pennies: Change the design where the seat rides on top of the left side frame that way most of the load will be supported on that end and some what transferred to the back frame. Then you have to figure out how to strengthen the joints on the right. You could drill a hole on the stock before gluing to accommodate a half inch rod going across the front into the side legs. You could use either a long lag bolt driven from the right side and then plugged. Or you could use a long half inch hardwood dowel (hard maple would be my choice) driven across the left leg into the seat (at least two inches). As a matter of fact, I would use a double hardwood dowel on the leg joints. Not sure a Domino dowel will hold under stress, my head tells me they are not long enough but i have never used a Domino joint for strength, have only used them for alignment. At the end of the day I believe it will hold a normal person’s weight but I am not an engineer. The biggest problem the design has is how to maintain the joint in the front right and opposite corner from coming apart under torsion applied when people shift while seated. At the very least I would change the seat to ride on top of the left frame and keep the with to less than 18 inches. Once you go over 18 inches the seat would tend to flex specially if you’re using two by fours. again, I am not an engineer and the structure could very work as in the photo if you can figure out the type of joints used. I suspect and hope they used mortise and tenon joints or some form that of joint. Cool rustic design! (I would not make one though and hate the polyurethane finish on it)
You might also consider mocking it up in cardboard full-size to validate you like how it’s going to look, see if you like the proportions, and so on. With that model, it might be easier to identify a course of action for when you do make it with wood
