Paul Lewis Design
Categories
Space NK Launches
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 13 March 2012 13:00
We have enjoyed working with Nicky Kinnaird and Space NK on various projects over the years. We were then, naturally, both excited and flattered to win the competitive pitch to re-think the user and brand experience of the online transactional business.
Our challenge was to create a user experience that matched the defined business strategy of growth in the international luxury cosmetics space, with an easy to use and innovative interface. The challenge of doing this is.. .the Space NK catalogue is both wide and deep, showcasing, as it does, many luxury brands and Space's own range of products. On top of this wide range of products is also a huge amount of detailed information regarding product usage. Yet, usually, luxury sites are known for clean minimal image heavy design. Minimal design demands a less-is-more approach. Yet the size Space catalogue fights against this. In addition to general cosmetics, there is also a mens range, a home range and a strong gifts range.
We started by creating, for the sake of clear site navigation, four distinct shops for each of the four main consumer groups - women, men, home and gifts, with relative sub-department navigation beneath. There is an old retail observation that while women don't mind shopping in a mans retail environment, men often avoid spending time in a women's one - and we took note of that to encourage mens business growth. In addition we created an innovative navigation bar, anchored to the lower part of the browser. This nav-bar allows more detailed search of products by brand and by "new" and also incorporates a fully functional gift finder.
The whole site was designed to match existing brand guidelines and also move the online look of the business forward to appeal to an international consumer. In particular, a lot of attention was given to creating effective, attractive and shop-able department landing pages incorporating featured products, editorial content and key navigation. The detail pages allow easy visual browsing of large number of colours - good for lipstick and nail varnish ranges!
A smart new site, clean but information rich - international in feel, but true to the core identity of the Space NK brand and easy to navigate and purchase from. trading figures are already showing a significant uplift.
www.spacenk.com
Oliver Sweeney & ARAM Sites Nominated
Written by Administrator Monday, 12 March 2012 17:23
We are thrilled that two of our latest sites - Oliver Sweeney and Aram, have both been nominated for the Drapers Record / Retail Week Etail Awards in the "Best Menswear Apparel" and "Best Re-design" categories respectively. The awards ceremony is being held on May 24th at the Grange, St Pauls, London. We look forward to the evening and going head-to-head with the brightest and the best in our industry.
E-commerce, craftsmanship and Santa Cruz Guitars
Written by PLD Monday, 05 September 2011 00:00
I’ve just retuned from a trip to California during which I managed to visit the Santa Cruz Guitar Company. Some of you might know that Santa Cruz make some of the finest 6 stringed instruments on the planet - the fruit of years of experience and many months of dedicated labour, skill, passion and craftsmanship.
I happen to own one of them... a 12 fret D. It’s a big bodied steel strung guitar that plays with the delicacy of a classical lute or the power of a freight train - mahogany back and sides and a sitka spruce top. The founder, Richard Hoover was out that day and my son Cassian and I were given a great tour by Carolyn.
It all starts with good wood. We witnessed how solid blocks of Honduran mahogany, Indian rosewood, Koa and Spruce were carefully selected and kiln dried for months before being assigned to various models. Santa Cruz customers can choose their own combinations of woods, neck shapes and finish to build their perfect bespoke musical partner.
The business employs around 15 craftsmen. Some have been there for 20 years, all with a high degree of personal job satisfaction and huge pride in their work they do and the product they create. It’s the sort of company I like to deal with.
This highly skilled craft workshop resonated with me on several levels. First, I like the family atmosphere, it was small, intimate, personal and nurturing. Second, I related to the artistic, creative ethos - aesthetic, imaginative, cultured. Third, they worked with their hands, ears, eyes and even sense of smell - it was not a production line. Finally, and most importantly - they cared about what they made and wanted each individual guitar to be the best possible.
It’s the type of business we are trying to build here.... call it a digital craft workshop... small enough for everyone to be personally involved, but experienced enough to turn out high quality work for clients who appreciate it. We don't work with wood and hide glue and lacquer...but with pixels and code and creative imagination and e-commerce experience. But I like to think that at the heart of what we do, we are not so different.
It all about motivation. For me, success is a mixture of a variety of elements. We will never be just a dry commercial agency thinking only of the bottom line. Our workshop is a place where design, commerce, creativity, technology, innovation and style all meet, mix and get along well together. And as long as we continue to attract clients that share the same mix of values, we will continue to love creating the work we do.
PLD Wins ECMOD Design Award
Written by PLD Monday, 11 April 2011 00:00
We are delighted that our design for "Bombay Duck" won the "Best Website Makeover" award at the ECMOD DIRECT COMMERCE AWARDS 2011 last week.
It was a terrific night at the Lancaster London Hotel. Thanks to all who voted. Our creative team worked closely with founders Laura and Steph Bates to capture the vitality, colour and exhuberance of the sub-continent that had inspired them to go in search of unique products. The sites visual character is distilled from a cross cultural blend of both Indian style and English eccentricity.
"Paul Lewis Design understood our brief and effectively interpreted it resulting in a unique design and set of templates in line with our brand - we have a design that we are very happy with and more importantly, we have received lots of positive feedback from our customers"
Laura Bates MD Bombay Duck
Paul Lewis Design moves to SOHO
Written by PLD Monday, 11 April 2011 00:00
At long last we have moved into our new studio in Soho. We're in a classic, arty space, in a slightly grimy Soho mews that just reeks of character. The local atmosphere is is vibrant and eclectic. We're close to the great London retail areas of Oxford St, Regent St, Carnaby St and Covent Garden.
Yet as soon as you turn off the bustle of Oxford St into Berwick St, you are instantly in a different world of old fashioned tailors, film production companies, market stalls, cafes, restaurants and more recently, new media agencies.
For an e-commerce creative agency it's the perfect location to help us keep up with what's happening on the hight st, and also the luxury, fashion and niche brands in and around the area. Theres a lot more to explore and discover. The address is 1 Wardour Mews, Soho, (just off Darblay St next to the Breakfast Club Cafe).
No, that's not me on my way to a pitch!
Do pop by any time you are nearby for a coffee and a chat.
More Articles...
Page 1 of 2
«StartPrev12NextEnd»© Paul Lewis Design 2011 1 Wardour Mews, Soho, London, W1F 8AH Tel: 0207 319 3940 | E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it