Da Silva Upholsterery’s website redesign & branding
Summary
Led a comprehensive digital transformation for Da Silva Upholstery, addressing their outdated online presence and enhancing their competitive standing. This academic project involved a complete website redesign and the creation of a new brand identity, focusing on user-centric design, modern aesthetics, and strategic market positioning.
The need for a redesign
Our team, F.L.O.K.S, was tasked with a mission to "identify an outdated online presence of a local business and suggest improvements." This was one of our major academic projects as students in the Interactive Media Design Program at Algonquin College. We quickly discovered that a website called Da Silva Upholstering was severely outdated, failing to represent their established brand identity and struggling with essential usability issues (read our Creative Brief for more details).
Through our analysis, we found that Da Silva Upholstering had several shortcomings, including:
- A dated visual aesthetic
- Poor navigation, which led to high bounce rates
- Limited responsiveness across devices
- A restricted view of their extensive product range
- Insufficient information about their upholstering services
Goals
Da Silva Upholstery and Pardo Fine Furniture, owned by Luis Carballude and Rafael Pardo, have built a strong reputation over the years for their excellent furniture services and products. Our team believed that their website needed an upgrade to reflect their positive word-of-mouth reputation.
Our objective was to deliver responsive high-fidelity wireframes for the website, create a new logo design, and develop a comprehensive branding package.
The design process
Our design process adhered to a comprehensive user-centered approach, Our design process adhered to a comprehensive user-centered approach, commencing with thorough user research and a detailed competitor analysis. We conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to fully understand both business objectives and critical user needs. This iterative process involved developing and refining multiple design iterations based on invaluable user feedback sessions.
Redesigning the logo
Creating the new logo was central to the brand's refreshed identity. We conducted extensive research into brand psychology and visual design principles, exploring numerous concepts from minimalist to symbolic. The final design aimed for an abstract, simple, and memorable icon that subtly tells the business's story. Inspiration came from upholstery textures or the distinct form of a couch's armrest, directly linking the visual identity to the craft. The logo was meticulously crafted for versatility, ensuring its impact and legibility across all digital and print mediums and at various scales.
New design features
The redesigned interface introduces a clean, modern layout that profoundly prioritizes user experience and accessibility. We implemented enhanced navigation systems, making it intuitive for users to find relevant information quickly and efficiently. Key improvements include fully responsive design for optimal viewing across all device types, improved color contrast for superior readability, and streamlined user flows engineered to reduce cognitive load. These features collectively create a more inclusive, visually appealing, and highly user-friendly digital experience, catering effectively to diverse target audiences.