akzente is a leading sustainability consultancy partner for companies, organizations and brands that want to shape their future responsibly. For over 25 years already, they have been working at the forefront of sustainability. It’s what drives them every single day, and never stops to excite them. Their motto: Responsibility is our business.
Made in collaboration with Serious Business GmbH
Outdoor Guide stands for competent and comprehensive information about the world of outdoor sports. It’s a Swiss magazine that informs twice a year about trekking, mountaineering, biking, canoeing, backcountry skiing, snowboarding and free riding. You will find very useful equipment tips, inspiring interviews and portraits, thorough tour recommendations and stunning stories of all sorts of expeditions.
KEYWORDS
brand strategy.
user experience.
webdesign.
sustainability.
consultancy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
research.
brand strategy.
UX & UI design.
Develop a unique look to capture and communicate in an authentic way the personality and values of akzente. Design a website that creates curiosity and interest with the users to learn more about akzente.
THE OBJECTIVE: How it all starts.
We started off with a branding workshop. Combined with client interviews and extensive online research, this was the starting point to define the suitable brand model, personality and design values for akzente. Based on this foundation, we then developed a storytelling and visual concept (see below). In a second workshop we further developed the structure of the website together with the akzente team.
THE PROCESS: Our journey from idea to execution.
As a befitting extension to the new brand strategy for akzente, we developed the storytelling concept of “guidance”. This was the foundation for the visual concept of the website: the guiding line. The simplest expression of giving direction and visualizing a journey is to use a line, which became the key visual element. A line combined with a dot can visualize the collective journey. The circle around the dot can be used to visualize the destination or a stopover during the journey.
CONCEPT: The big idea.
After a lot of wireframes, prototyping and user testing, the new website for akzente was born. As defined in the concept, the line is now used as the main visual element to give the user direction, supported with other interactive visual elements to provide the best possible guidance. For the imagery we chose photos that have a clear perspective, and use subtle lines on the images to guide the eye and emphasize this perspective direction.
THE OUTCOME: What we achieved.
We developed a series of bespoke icons for the different industries akzente is working with. Every icon has the same structure, starting from a dot and a circle – elements which we are using throughout our visual concept. The outcome is a set of abstract icons representing the various business sectors. This style perfectly reflects the personality of akzente: passionate, knowledgeable and pragmatic.
ICONS: A custom set of user interface symbols for akzente.
More work.
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