The project in numbers

Outcome

The new website reflects our brand in a timeless way, going beyond trends, to communicate everything about the company with minimalistic visual elements.

Overview

2021

Our old website, while serving as a digital business card, and accommodating all types of content, was not reflecting our values anymore. We thoroughly analysed the website, with some help from Gartner as well. While we had correct language for our target market, and had a clear offering of what we did, other checkpoints were lacking. No storyline progression, no engaging message, real-life proof, or focus on customer value.

Iterations

2022

In September 2021, we approached a reputable agency to externalize the website redesign. We created a brief as a starting point for a new interface that is more modern, dynamic, and cool. Our partners, Digitalists, were supportive and receptive along the way, translating our wishes into a lighter and more modern interface. In January 2022 we had the project kick-off. In about 4 months they delivered a digital animated preview of the website. It had a professional, straightforward, corporate look, more modern than before. As we browsed through and gathered feedback, we concluded that we wanted to achieve a timeless and minimal look. The functional images and icons, and the traditional layout worked well, but we realized we wanted to go beyond the trends. We’re grateful to our partners for their creative vision, and we decided to restart the process right at the beginning. Defining who we are.

The vision

No amount of creativity helps if you’re not starting from your roots. “Start with Why” - Simon Sinek.

So we decided to define our “Why”, who we are as a brand, our vision and mission, our values, and how we want to help the world. We wanted to craft an image where everything communicates what is important for us, without superfluous elements. No unnecessary illustrations and graphics. The content will be the design itself. Our offering, message, and people will be the digital business card we need. Each item, each line of text, tells our story exactly and is aligned with who we are. That’s an ambitious goal, and it took more than a year to get there.

Our process

2023

In April 2023 we started the internal redesign process. We planned discovery interviews, to put into words our vision for the company. We used internal events like workshops to extract the team’s vision from the brand awareness exercises. The most popular terms that our people used when talking about our company, were the basis for selecting our keywords. Then, we created a poll to choose from a list of keywords that people felt represented SI. With a little help from AI, we structured an impressive amount of information. Next came a by-the-book branding approach. Over the next 3 months, our CEO and the designer created an encompassing vision and brand materials: the brand book and style guide, including guidelines for brand statements, our mission, values, vision, the brand voice, and personality. The brand book had everything from the company philosophy to the dos and don'ts of using images and text. Iterative sessions ensured we had feedback from the whole team. We shared our brand materials with the team so that everything we produce is aligned with our company image.

User interface

In August 2023, we had the first website mock-ups. Once we had defined in the brand book the font we use, the colors, image style, and copy guidelines, it was simple to translate our vision into the website interface. Consistency was our ally in designing the digital interface to represent our brand.

Challenges

Working towards presenting our offering to the whole world, we realized the road towards perfection is spiked with many challenges. One of the main issues was getting feedback from the team, centralizing and managing the feedback, as well as analysing what we were going to implement, and what was not usable. And guess what? Not everyone likes serif fonts or the same colours. So we selected the suggestions that made the website work better, implemented obvious usability suggestions, and got a commitment from the team for the new UI. Not only that, but our services were evolving, and we needed to track the changes and constantly update the content. And time-wise, getting feedback and content revisions along the way, by scheduling meetings in busy calendars, meant slow but steady progress.

Development

As the design was being finalized, our main developer was getting busy implementing the new interface, and creating an admin interface as well, so we could manage the content. Prioritizing internal projects while balancing client work is always a challenge, but we managed to have a working online website to demo to the team by the end of the year.

Internal demo

In December 2023 we presented the website in our Touchdown yearly event. Great reaction overall, which pleased us and reaffirmed the goal to have a modern web presence, aligned with our mission and vision. However, not everything was perfect. Once we had this improved digital interface, we realized that the overall experience could be enhanced with some fine-tuning. There were some additional features and animations that would create a more enjoyable feeling when using the product.

Back to the drawing board

2024

The feedback that the website was nice but not quite there yet got us working on the concept again. More research followed, to see what’s the industry standard regarding animations and fonts on corporate websites. And of course, we took a peek at other consulting companies, to see how they present the services, what imagery they use, and how they write copy. In the next months, we developed new animations and edited the content to fit the vision we had. We didn’t want to rush the launch and took our time to develop an enjoyable, not only informative website.

Company strategy

Our service areas were undergoing a significant change. We were working on a new strategy and services, which involved weeks of intense workshops and discussions. We wanted to carefully refine our services to meet our clients' needs and demonstrate our expertise in driving digital transformation. It was a time-consuming and meticulous process to find the right words to communicate the services we had developed over many years. Creating the perfect presentation slide with detailed descriptions, goals, approach, and deliverables was invaluable. Once we had the visual materials ready, we integrated them into our new website to showcase our redefined service areas.

Project management

As the requirements evolved, and the core team members got into other projects, we faced a new challenge. How to manage the project better and stay on top of evolving needs, tasks, and gathering content. Organizing all activities, managing the feedback we got in Slack, the Notion user stories, the articles our colleagues were writing for publishing on the website, and updating the timeline to coordinate with the developer’s availability. It took days just to keep track and write all the tasks that would get us closer to launch.

Testing

As the development progressed, we realized we tested everything on different devices and browsers. Working in a small and agile team means everyone wears multiple hats. The engineer develops and keeps track of some tasks, the project owner writes content and provides feedback, and the UI/UX designer manages the project while designing missing screens and testing. Preparing for an autumn launch, we are making sure everything looks good, and that the website is responsive and working as it is supposed to.

The results

To achieve success, we focused on key points like branding, communication, storytelling, visual style, and consistency. This is how we rate our achievements.

Branding The new website keeps a consistent color scheme and refines it with a lot of whitespace, giving it a modern and polished look. The branding focuses on approachability and clarity, using modern design elements like large images and clean fonts. Most importantly, it reflects our company values, like going the extra mile, expertise, and reliability. Value proposition We streamlined the value proposition by focusing on user experience. The homepage guides users through the value offerings intuitively, with clear messaging and calls to action. Communication The communication on the website prioritizes clarity and ease of navigation. It has an emphasis on storytelling. The modern layout presents the information with concise and impactful text. Storytelling The new design elevates storytelling through more prominent placement of success stories, client logos, and team highlights. We showcase the company’s impact and reach effectively. Visual style and consistency The visual style of the new site is modern, with a consistent and minimalist design approach. It features engaging visuals, such as large images, interactive elements, and good use of typography. It has a clear visual hierarchy and a more unified aesthetic.

Lessons learned

With hindsight, we know that a modern website, even if it doesn't represent our special identity 100%, would have been a quicker and easier approach. Keeping our old website, even though it was getting a bit long in the tooth, would also have been an option that would have continued to emphasise our uniqueness. But now that our brand has matured, we had the opportunity to express our mission and values with a unified and strong voice on our website, in our printed materials and presentations.

Elevate your brand with our rebranding services

We are proud to offer our extensive expertise in website rebranding as a service to businesses seeking to revamp their online presence. Our proven track record of successfully transforming our own website into a modern and minimalistic platform demonstrates our capability to elevate brands through strategic and visually appealing redesigns. We offer comprehensive website rebranding services, including analysis, strategic planning, modern design, and content support. Our focus on timeless design and impactful storytelling empowers businesses to connect with their audience on a deeper level, leaving a lasting impression and fostering brand loyalty. Additionally, we provide comprehensive support in content strategy, user interface design, and development, ensuring that every aspect of your website reflects the essence of your brand. Our team is dedicated to crafting a digital platform that not only meets but exceeds your expectations, setting the stage for increased engagement and conversions.

Next steps

Any digital product is a work in progress. As our company evolves, so does our website. It will host new content, new stories, new colleagues, and exciting projects. The website truly reflects our brand values and has been well-received by our clients and partners. We are excited about the future and look forward to using our new digital platform as a tool to reach new heights and communicate our story to the world.

Rebranding core principle

At our core, we believe in launching products that we are truly content with. This guiding principle drives our commitment to delivering exceptional results for our clients, ensuring that every aspect of the rebranding process is meticulously executed to reflect their brand identity and values. By choosing us, businesses can expect a seamless and comprehensive website rebranding experience that resonates with their target audience and sets them apart in the digital landscape.

The team

Project Owner

Project Manager

Product Designer

Full-stack Developer

Feedback

“As the sponsor of this four-year project to redesign our company website, I am extremely pleased with the outcome. The new website accurately reflects our values, strategic services, and identity, significantly strengthening our digital presence. However, what truly mattered was the journey itself: the process of self-discovery and the deep engagement with questions about who we are, how we want to present ourselves, and what language best represents us was at the heart of this project. This process was challenging but ultimately invaluable and a key factor in the success of the redesign. I want to highlight the outstanding work and dedication of our project manager and the entire team. Challenges were addressed proactively, and the collaboration was marked by professionalism and focus. This project not only created a new digital platform but also helped us clearly define our identity and make our corporate values tangible. It was an extraordinary success, both in terms of the result and the journey to achieve it.”