OuR (covid) Year in Design
As we mumbled behind masks in person, 2020 became the year for digital communications, including websites, which assumed an even greater role as the primary public face for brands – from Mom & Pop sized shops to larger companies. Here are a few of the websites we built or rebuilt this year, along with the brand strategies behind them.
mÖbius home: Website
Owner/Chief Designer Lynn Feinstein + Associate Designer Alexandra Roocroft Debrule craft beautiful eco-interiors for clients, with a twist – often they reimagine the space using existing client furniture, rather than buying all new, or direct DIYers, combining ecology with economy. Their designs are clean and elegant; everything is integral. But their website didn’t exemplify that. So we did what they do: we reimagined the existing site, edited, streamlined, reorganized and arrived at a look that is, yes, elegant and integral. Designers are visual people. So where the existing site was word heavy, we pared down words and added images. We also did photo styling for their spaces, populating them with visual stories that entice. Plus we developed a marketing plan for Mobius.
Glacier Windows: Branding & Website
Glacier Window & Door purveys and installs custom residential windows for design-driven luxury homes throughout the PNW. What sets Glacier apart are the high end lines they vet and carry, the elegant fenestration and portal solutions they arrive at and – above all - the caring, knowledgeable people that comprise their team. We created a website that encapsulates these characteristics, including a crisp, clean architectural look and plenty of images to let their dazzling work speak for itself. We accentuated the caring nature of their team with candid, rich BW photos that stand out from the usual roster of mug shots. And we capped it off by updating their logo, keeping the mountain and glacier, but streamlining them to a precise, professional look that mirrors the exactitude of their work.
gail owen prints: Website
It was a delight to work with Gail, and her art, to create a graceful site that sets off her lovely work with botanical and other PNW nature inspired prints. A fine artist who loves to see art serve a useful purpose, Gail uses 19th Century printing techniques and materials to turn her prints into stunning wallpaper. We love to see websites that work well for their owners, so we created Gail’s to be easily updated by her. Videos provide lilting tours through Gail’s work plus a peak at her techniques. A quick click takes visitors to stores where they can purchase either wallpaper or prints.
Outer wisdom herbals: Website
Outer Wisdom Herbals has been creating fine, organic herbal-based beauty products for 15 years. They needed an elegant site that would complement their mission, quickly introduce their philosophy and products, and then induce customers to buy online or wholesalers to carry their lines. The website for Outer Wisdom Herbals is a great example of how a modest budget site can entice the market with a high end look.
arciform: campaigns
ARCIFORM is Portland’s premier restoration and remodeling firm; Snow B. Designs is their white glove agency. To say that 2020 had its challenges is the understatement of the year, but working with ARCIFORM we rose above them to create some very iconic, clever campaigns that performed well! With the Summer Road Trip through Restoration, 2020, we invited visitors to take a road trip to view the many historical restorations that ARCIFORM has been involved with throughout Oregon, snap a selfie and post it. To market it, we created beautiful post card graphics that hark back to classic travel posters, replete with classic cars parked in front of the properties. The campaign was so successful that ARCIFORM would like to run it year round. The post cards were such a hit that we’re now printing them for mailings to target market neighborhoods. Other campaigns included working with ARCIFORM on webinar workshops. For the Portland Home Styles Workshop we created a coveted logo bug that’s also a certification for graduates of the seminar. The webinar sold out. We also marketed and created iconic graphics for the successful Home Design Workshop Series, and the Architectural Styles of Portland Workshop. Add to all that a consistent campaign of social posts and it was a very full year of challenges overcome!
Versatile Wood Products: campaigns
Versatile Wood Products (VWP) designs and crafts exquisite one-of-a-kind door, window, and cabinetry solutions that exactly meet historical specification while achieving modern performance standards. Their website had not been upgraded in three years, so we did a little restoration work ourselves, improving the look and functionality while keeping their historical brand. To introduce the remodeled site, we developed the Race to Timberline campaign. First we created a vintage set of posters featuring restored properties and owner Richard De Wolf in his own racecar. These eye-catching, old-timey images inspired by vintage car posters cut through the contemporary noise and set a spirit of fun in motion. Participants spun through the website in search of hidden words that might win them two nights at Timberline Lodge. To add to the fun – and interactivity – participants were invited to drive the route past the properties, stop for a nosh, snap selfies and post them to Instagram, tagging VWP. Though VWP is involved in major restorations, they remain a close-knit family-style company; we emphasized that with a family focused campaign. And of course we provide a steady flow of social posts touting their custom works in a unique manner.
