A new home for the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky, built around the full collection, its cocktails and the distillery.
The Brief
Dewar’s had updated its brand identity, but the website still looked like the old one. They wanted a site that matched the new look, showed the full collection, and took visitors from discovering a whisky to buying a bottle or booking a tour.
The Process
Rebuilding the sitemap. The old site had no appropriate space for cocktails, awards, campaigns, editorial or distillery visits. Working with the brand team, we reorganised the site around what customers come looking for, and gave each of these its own section next to the collection and shop.
Applying the new brand. The brand identity had been refreshed, but the site still showed the old one. Every page template was redesigned from the new guidelines, from type and colour to image treatment and layout.
Designing within the build. The platform limited what could be coded, so off-the-shelf solutions weren’t enough. We designed and tested new components that pushed those limits while staying buildable.
Adding motion. Static pages couldn’t capture the character of the brand. We brought in custom hover animations to liven the visual language on screen.
Building for search and access. The site needed to be found more easily and work for more people. A clearer page structure and content hierarchy help it rank in search and work with screen readers.
The Benefits: One Point Of Contact
Most web projects mean a brand juggling an agency, a designer and a development team.
On this project, Dewar’s had one contact from start to finish.
Scoping. The sitemap sets out the size of the site, which gives the developers what they need to put together a budget and project plan.
Connecting the right people. The brand team works directly with the right developers, so the budget is based on the real scope.
Design. Once the brand visual identity is in hand, every page is designed by Marine Michel Studio.
Translating both ways. The brand’s goals are protected through the build, and anything development flags as not doable goes back to the brand clearly and quickly.
Knowing the category. Experience in the spirits industry made it easier to spot what the site was missing and what whisky drinkers look for when they browse. Combined with a background in web design, that meant every page was planned around both the product and the person using the site.
Nothing gets lost between teams.
The brand stays up to date at every stage without having to manage a build process outside its expertise.