So how do you stand out?

When we work with any business, we strive to develop not only their brand but enhance and build upon their story with the goals and targets of the business in mind.

This has proved vitally important when developing a gin brand. With a saturated marketplace and a savvy customer base, potential consumers want to know the story behind the brand with unique ingredients and sustainability being two widely sought-after factors. From our research, we discovered that bottle shapes along with label finishes were also key in the decision-making process of the buyer.

Utilising bespoke assets including photography, in-bar and in-store marketing play a massive role alongside the brand to help shine through a busy marketplace. This is key to drive sales and push brand awareness.

The challenge when developing a gin brand is to make it both recognisable and identifiable on the shelf and yet distanced from prime competitors in the ever-expanding gin industry. With a plethora of amazing gins out there it was important that we studied the craft gin market to identify a visual gap in the market.   

We wanted to create a brand that sold the Arcturus story with the first impression. We combined hand-drawn illustration techniques with beautiful typography to capture the brand message of a ‘foraged and handcrafted luxury gin’.

An initial brand workshop played a major part in understanding the values of the client and their brand. Establishing these brand values and ensuring they are communicated through the final product allows consumers to identify with your brand, building loyalty and familiarity.

Within the Arcturus logo, as mentioned above there are nods to the location and ingredients of the gin coupled with a touch of the client’s own story.

Brand continuity also proves essential when developing the digital side of the product. The brand story needs to flow equally between product and website. We achieve this by using high-quality, brand photography that highlights the USP’s of the product such as location or history guiding the user from discovery through to purchase.

In an ever-expanding drinks industry, it is important to consider where in the market you are trying to place yourself.

Premiumization is huge at the moment as brands compete to achieve luxury status. You have to highlight the premium nature of the drink you are selling but maintain the personality and relatability you are trying to portray. Attention to detail is key.

This can mean using crafted typography combined with tactile finishes that look and feel premium. On the other hand, now more than ever qualities such as sustainability and authenticity go hand in hand with the luxury perception.

This is down to the fact that old luxury ideals of bling and glam are being driven out by the force of millennials who now demand assurance that their product has a backstory that they can buy into and shows signs of being sustainable, which is now a requirement for any new brand that plans on making an impact in the market.

The Gin and Drinks industry is a fast-paced and everchanging environment that is constantly bringing up new challenges, and we can’t wait to see where our next drinks venture takes us!

Do you have ideas to set up a gin or perhaps take your current gin to the next level?

If you think we could work together in the future, get in touch!

As technology advances, it has become apparent that online users are increasingly impatient with day to day activities. This comes down to technology speeding up almost every aspect of our lives from self-checkout machines to being able to purchase something online and have it delivered to your door in under 24-hours. 

Although this advance in tech is groundbreaking and provides us with never before experienced access, it is forming a population who are more idealistic, more socially-conscious and more experience-oriented than any of their preceding generations, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but businesses need to be aware of this change to be able to cater for it.

So how do we as a design and digital agency focus ourselves to provide an experience that fits this new-wave of consumer?

By analysing rising trends and carrying out intensive user testing we are able to stay ahead of the curve and consistently deliver a unique design and digital experience for our Hospitality clients that allow them to manage their own guests’ expectations and offer them a smooth customer journey from the first click on the website until check-out.

Importance of Hotel Branding

When we discuss branding, this does not mean just your logo. It is the sensory experience that a client initiates when coming into contact with your brand, and in turn, becomes your most important asset as a business. It helps tell your story whilst allowing your potential customers an insight into your offering and values. Your brand will be one of the first things a guest may interact with and could play a pivotal role in their decision to delve further into your offering and book. It is then key that your brand reflects your price range and proposed target audience. 

Brand Consistency

Brand continuity in look, feel, offering and message should run coherently through everything you do. Although the visual aspect is very important it is probably the easiest to get right. Your brand values and offering are the reason why people book and return to your business and it is, therefore, key that staff members align to the brand values allowing consistent delivery of service across the board. 

Importance of Signage

Following on from consistency, the quality of your brand should be reflected through well thought out signage and wayfinding across hotel interior, exterior and grounds. Signage is an opportunity to reinforce your brand message through the choice of materials and finishes. 

One of the key factors when developing a hotel website is making sure that the user experience is focused on the route to a booking. It is vitally important that the book now button is clear and easy to see on the site. On mobile, it is also good practice to have it visible at all times as a higher percentage of people will access a hotel site via mobile. If possible allowing the user to enter their potential arrival dates on the site is good so that when they get to the booking section they are presented with the correct rooms and prices for that date range.

Importance of Engaging Media

Through user testing, we were able to determine what makes the most interactive and engaging home page on a website. Comparing professional and poor photography allowed us to see the significance each one had on bounce rates and engagement, proving poor photography directly lowers your chances of a booking on your site and similarly out of date or poorly lit images can give a bad impression of the hotel and can turn a user off instantly, so we focus on creating engaging, high-quality gallery pages or include a video as these proved most popular during user testing. This reduces the bounce rate by allowing the viewer to get a quick, detailed overview of what exactly the product on offer is, without having to spend time hunting for details.

After securing a high-end Design & Digital experience it is essential that the experience flows equally through the social presence.

So, this year more than ever it is pivotal to expand and promote your Social standing and allow it to demonstrate truthfully the product you offer.

One of the first things people do when looking up a new hotel, apart from visiting the website, is looking at their Instagram. 

By working closely with our clients and paying regular visits to build your content we allow your platform to be seen as transparent and authentic whilst still portraying the high-level you offer, this is achieved by balancing a range of different posts that include staff, rooms, food, and location taken both professionally and live on site.

We use a range of techniques to build a profile that not only sells your business but will have a direct increase in successful bookings, this is down to how we attract consumers attentions by building a realistic aesthetic and from there create a short and simple journey redirection through to the booking page in a matter of clicks.

If you think we could work together in the future, Get in touch!