Creating a brand, identity and website
I was approached by a PCB assembly company that wanted to move to an online presence and build a bigger brand. The project included a full design, from the company logo to the copy and website. The aim was to build the company's identity and get them more work through SEO.
Unfortunately the project began but was never completed as the client was unable to provide me with copy and thus the site never saw development.
DEP manufacturing
1990
Manufacturing
Randburg, South Africa
5
Challenge
The customer had no digital presence nor documentation that they could use to define themselves or their brand. I began by visiting their facility and talking to the owners to get an idea of what they did and what they liked from a design perspective. From here we sat together and spitballed a few possible logos and colour schemes, this then led to the discussion of the website.
Results
This project taught me the reality that not every project will be successful nor will it necessarily be completed. The work itself wasn't anything new nor particularly challenging, the customer just became less and less interested in the project and had a lot of other things they wanted to focus on.
90%
Complete
4 days
To design up to the displayed point
0 site hits
SEO was to be completed after copy.
Process
Research & Analysis: I began by identifying what the company needed from an online presence. The discussion boiled down to "attracting more customers". From here I looked through what imagery and visuals worked for the site and their logo.
Information Architecture: The site needed to be simple and attractive to both their existing customers but also people who had no idea about the PCB assembly process yet were still possible customers. From this, I chose to design around a "mascot" that showed the company in a way that both afore-mentioned groups would recognise. Then I combined this with the colour scheme and agreed logo to layout the site.
Wireframing & Prototyping: During the prototyping phase I encountered the obstacle of receiving copy from the client. Unfortunately this ground the project to a halt and eventual closure. The design was shared with the client however, even with multiple follow-ups the client did not manage to produce the needed information.
Usability Testing: This was in-scope for the project but unfortunately not achieved.
Visual Design & Style Guide: The style guide was designed in conjunction with the clients input, it was not shared as this was a deliverable that was agreed to post site release.
“ With our new website we should be able to attract a much bigger customer base. The ideas we've seen are exciting and very promising! ”
Mike Gamble
Owner, Co-founder | DEP Manufacturing
Conclusion
Working for family isn't always a breeze and this time was no exception. My father's company was in dire need of an online presence, unfortunately the delivery time coincided with a unfortunate death in the family and the client decided it was not a priority any more. I am still very proud of the designs I made and I do think this is a great opportunity to showcase that a project doesn't have to be completed to be successful.