August brought work of cutest kind to the Northumberland Design studio, as I helped Ceri from Purple Hound to:
- strengthen her online brand
- boost online sales
- improve customer experience
- stand out to her ideal customers
Background
Spotting a gap in the market for high quality, stylish AND durable dog products, Ceri set about creating Purple Hound in 2020. Two years on, the Purple Hound store in Corbridge is a huge success. Next on the to-do list was to bring the website in-line with the brand that Ceri has so carefully built.
Establishing a foundation for brand success
To get the very best results for our clients we always base our recommendations firmly on research and reason. For this project we worked with Purple Hound to gain an understanding of:
- products and services
- mission and values
- what makes them unique
- their deal clients; their challenges, their feelings, their motivations and aspirations
Next, we mapped their online customer journey to identify potential challenges that needed addressing. The valuable insight that we gained helped us establish a clear direction for the project.
Before
Creating a more refined brand style:
At first glance, the website had a clean layout, with bold colours and fun images. But the overall style didn’t match what the Purple Hound clients were looking for. To reposition Purple Hound as a trusted brand, synonomous with quality and style we made subtle changes to:
- Refine the brand colour palette
- Improve the overall layout and typography
- Introduce clear, emotive brand messaging
- Develop a distinctive brand photography style
After
1. Refining the brand colour palette:
Your brand colour palette is an important tool that can attract your ideal customer in an instant!
For Purple Hound, we stripped back the bright colours used online and focussed on the opulent purple, bright white and stylish dark grey already used in their Corbridge store. The change immediately gives a more refined first impression and the site is more easily recognisable as Purple Hound.
We also introduced warm, countryside textures of chopped wood, traditional stone buildings and faded summer grass to appeal to their ideal customer and build a pallete that was strongly associated with quality and style.
2.
Improve the overall layout and typography:
Intentionally using white space always refines a design and can encourage viewers to flow through a website with ease. We made subtle layout and typography changes to improve the flow of the website and help the customer be able to find what they need more easily.
3.
Introduce clear, emotive brand messaging:
Clear messaging that speaks directly to your customer is one of the most powerful ways to build genuine trust and confidence in your brand. As with every relationship, when you show that you understand your customers it helps encourage authentic, long term brand relationships.
We established early on that Purple Hound understand and appreciate that special bond between you and your dog. They care deeply about helping their customers find the best product for their dogs and their mission is to provide excellent service that their customer can trust.
We carefully built their brand mission into every element of their messaging, placing the customer centre stage to help them to feel considered and valued.
4.
New Brand Photography:
The new brand photography was meticulously planned and styled to create a relaxed, countryside vibe. Subtle colours, props, locations and depth of field were used to further strengthen the brand to be associated with quality and style.
The new style is subtle, calm and aspirational; celebrating the special bond and happy moments shared between you and your dog. Sarah Deane Photography worked her magic in not only showcasing the products beautifully, but capturing images with real heart and soul.
Photography by Sarah Deane Photography
