Venture Republic Corporate Site
Client Details
Project type:
| Industry | Luxury consumer goods/fashion. |
| Product | Leather bags and accessories. |
| Audience | High-end Japanese consumers. |
| Objective | Increasing sales via the e-commerce channel by pay-per-click advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. |
What We Did
- Art Direction
- Content Strategy
- Copywriting
- Design and Custom Illustration
- Project Management
- Development
Project Details
Venture Republic (VR) owns Travel.jp and Hotels.jp, which are both among the top travel search engines in Japan. In addition to this, VR maintains other assets and affiliations related to the travel industry in Japan and abroad. Their goal is to revolutionize the travel industry, giving travelers all the information they could ever need venture the globe.
What We’re Really Proud Of
An International Rebrand for Venture Republic
With this project, VR’s corporate brand introduced itself to the world, outside of Japan, for the very first time. We created new typography guidelines, a new color scheme, and a modern art direction for VR to ensure that it effectively translated into a modern and global brand.
Process
Initial Contact and Proposal Stage
VR contacted Tsunago, our partner company, to build a new website. Tsunago then entrusted the project in its entirety to us.
We supported and collaborated with Tsunago during the proposal process to develop an ambitious plan to carry the VR brand responsively across all devices, and in a way that spoke strongly to its international ambition and growth. The main intent of the site was to attract new partners, potential collaborations, and enthusiastic staff.
Content Audit
Our first step was to edit their pre-existing content. We combed through every page of their website along with the documents they had assembled. Consulting with VR’s marketing department, we determined the main goal was to not rebuild their current content, but resculpt it in a more dynamic, easy to absorb way. We then adjusted the messaging for impact and added supportive content and statistics for a well-rounded presentation.
Development
In the development process, we fine-tuned the usability and user experience while the client chimed in on their own needs regarding functionality. The big challenge was getting the movement and user interaction just right. Utilizing the high-speed performance of modern day wifi as well as the high-speed internet usage environment of VR’s target users, we opted to use a bold combination of both animation and parallax to focus the users’ attention on key messages and information. The result is an incredibly immersive and interactive page.
Design
Justin Sereni was our lead designer. Together we worked closely as a team with the client to manage goals, content, revisions, and the ultimate look and feel of the site. The big challenge here was portraying the most effective user-oriented messaging of the site, while still maintaining the ideals and voice of VR. This required in-depth consultation and supportive back and forth to result in a site that would work best for the client and their users. The result was a tight, clean visual representation that met the client in the middle regarding flow and content. After sign-off of the designs, it was time for the next step:
Development
In the development process, we fine-tuned the usability and user experience while the client chimed in on their own needs regarding functionality. The big challenge was getting the movement and user interaction just right. Utilizing the high-speed performance of modern day wifi as well as the high-speed internet usage environment of VR’s target users, we opted to use a bold combination of both animation and parallax to focus the users’ attention on key messages and information. The result is an incredibly immersive and interactive page.
Completion
The site was released at the end of March, just in time for the official “restart” of the year in April (as is common in Japanese businesses).
Maintenance and Follow-Up
We are still working together with VR to maintain and improve the site. As the internet is constantly changing, and VR’s business as well, we are dedicated to continuing the success of our clients.
What Did Everybody Think About It?
We at Humble Bunny are very proud of the end result, it is a stunning website and an amazing brand. Our president, Nate, also had some nice words to say about the project:
“This project was an exciting one for us. We were able to take a large part in the direction and concept of the overall site; the planning and design stages were tight-knit and we were able to spend a lot of time with the client building a great relationship and really carrying the project and messaging forward. Since we’re suckers for good communication, we were happy to have VR responding quickly and productively. It really made a huge difference in the flow of the project. Due to the in-depth and extensive refinement of the design and usability, we had to sacrifice the original schedule, but we believe it was well worth the trade-off for a more compelling final product.”
