Banks and Bloom

Client's project aims

As a bespoke brand and distiller, Banks and Bloom's core ethos focuses on the purity of ingredients, sustainability, and transparency within food production. With its founders aiming to champion underutilised native ingredients (all responsibly sourced from remote and regional growers), the brand is a result of collaborations between scientists, winemakers, and hospitality professionals, all bringing their own unique wealth of knowledge to the table.  

Sitting at the crossroads of where science and creativity collide through using cutting-edge distillation methods, they focus on their premise of ‘science meets art’. Collaborating closely, we worked to understand how to best present this truly unique brand vision and ethos by understanding both their business and project goals. Driving a fresh brand vision forward, their previous website wasn’t meeting their business goals. To coincide with the launch of their RTD (ready-to-drink) range and their new brand vision, they wished to retain existing brand elements whilst overhauling the overall vision and branding.  

The new website solution needed to focus on simple eCommerce functionality whilst providing information on the unique brand story and vision to users. As a product-based business with an ever-growing stockist base, it was also imperative that the click-to-cart process was seamless.  

Although primarily aimed to be used as an eCommerce website, Banks and Bloom also saw the solution as a tool for brand awareness and storytelling around their focus on sustainability, transparency, and conservation.  

Short term, their project goals included:  

• Repositioning the brand on the website
• The web presence to reflect the new brand look and feel 
• A better framework to position for the product range extension into RTDs 

Longer term, their project goals included: 

• Increasing sales 
• Establishment of an exclusive gin club (with the aim to extend to a national and ultimately, international focus)  

Process

Following a comprehensive discovery and understanding of their business goals, it was decided to shift the old WordPress based website onto a new CMS. The new website was methodically built using Umbraco CMS (Content Management System), adopting a modular build approach. Given the strong eCommerce project focus, we seamlessly integrated Shopify with Umbraco, with the Shopify integration resulting in significant advantages, including:   

• Enhanced convenience 
• Simplified content editing 
• On-demand data, and 
• Reduced manual updating. 
  
  

This robust integration offers unparalleled content editing convenience, ensuring synchronisation and reducing content administration. For instance, if Banks and Bloom were to introduce 5 new RTDs overnight, all corresponding product information would be automatically extracted from Shopify, negating the need for Banks and Bloom staff to make manual additions.   

Aligned with the launch of their RTD (ready-to-drink) range and the unveiling of their new brand vision, the decision was made to revamp the entire vision and branding while retaining existing imagery and brand elements. A recipe widget was also seamlessly incorporated throughout the website to enhance user engagement. 

Given the diverse customer base ranging from seasoned gin enthusiasts knowledgeable about various production processes to distributors and casual RTD consumers, Banks and Bloom had multiple user groups to engage through their website. However, the common expectation amongst all users was a seamless click-to-cart experience, a feature now facilitated by the new website. 

Whilst the website was undergoing the development stage, we took a proactive approach by crafting a placeholder landing page (with imagery below).

Strategically, this provided not only an anticipatory glimpse of the final website but was an opportunity to showcase some key design elements. 

We seamlessly integrated existing brand elements, developed by a third-party designer, into the website development process. The distinctive colour palette, a key component of the brand identity, resonated with the brand's commitment to premium and natural ingredients. 

The primary brand colour palette, featuring a deep blue, reminiscent of juniper berries, was strategically chosen to convey authenticity and tie into the core botanical element of gin production. This not only reinforces a connection to nature, but also supports the brand's dedication to using botanicals. The colour choices were more than aesthetic; they were a form of visual storytelling, symbolising the essence of the brand. 

As a result, the new website strongly aligns with the brand's vision of "drinkable botany." By incorporating these specific brand elements, such as the carefully selected colour palette, the website visually communicates the unique blend of science and creativity that defines the brand. Sustainability and transparency, integral aspects of the brand ethos, are reflected in the design choices and overall user experience (UX) of the website. 

The colour scheme not only enhances the website's visual appeal, but also serves as a subtle yet powerful reminder of the brand's commitment to nature and botanical ingredients. This integration of brand elements throughout the website ensures a cohesive online experience resonating with Banks and Bloom's values and vision. 

Project summary

Banks and Bloom's new website showcases their exciting product offering and embodies their vibrant brand ethos. We embarked on a journey to extend their brand guidelines into an eCommerce solution, reinvigorating their brand identity by accurately reflecting their core brand values.

The website is a display of the combination of science and creativity, much like the Banks and Bloom brand. Built modularly using Umbraco CMS, it seamlessly integrates Shopify for enhanced convenience and a simplified content editing process.  

The website design, influenced by a colour palette reflecting core gin ingredients,  authentically communicates the brand's commitment to nature. With a placeholder landing page, recipe widget, and intuitive click-to-cart functionality, the website engages diverse user groups.  

From casual consumers to seasoned gin enthusiasts, the website offers a convenient eCommerce experience. Through a blend of design and brand elements, the website also reflects the brand’s focus on science, art, and sustainability. We successfully collaborated with a third party creative lead to bring the visual story of  bespoke craftmanship and celebration of native ingredients come to digital life. The website strongly aligns with Banks and Bloom's brand vision.  

Key achievements 

• Developed upon core brand concepts and brand guidelines  

• Created an engaging placeholder landing page whilst development was taking place  

• Recipe widget 

• Seamless Shopify integration for minimal content editing/easy click-to-cart UX regardless of customer type 

• Worked to extend existing brand guidelines across multiple website pages and other content types to bring a unified brand identity and presence  

• New website clearly reflects core brand values

• Ability to add to cart from various pages (not only shopping section) 

• Event carousel