Açaí House was a local San Diego superfood shop with products ranging from classic acai bowls to wellness shots located in Westfield UTC mall. In January 2019, they decided to create a new brand and website. In 10 weeks, my team and I gave them a mobile + desktop website design ready to implement.
Through client + customer interviews, we developed our design objectives. Coming from the açai bowl’s place of origin, he had a very interesting story to tell through his food. He believed in the purity and authenticity of his food and used only the best ingredients with no added ice or sugar. His mission with the shop was to promote a healthy lifestyle. His customer base was people between 25-40 who actively incorporate superfoods into their diet. We learned that they wanted an engaging experience where they can get as much information about the foods from the menu as possible.
To create an engaging and informational experience, we decided to create a very image-driven site with a refreshed brand that represents their health lifestyle mission. The menu on the site needed to be fun and interactive, and the site needed to showcase the shop owner’s history and mission.
See full creative brief
Driven by the insight from both the owner and customers, we determined that the tone should inspire a healthy lifestyle while expressing authenticity and purpose of the products. Images on the new site should have a natural vibrancy and avoid over-saturation and clutter. We encouraged the owner to take new product photos.
Our first prototype of the menu allowed site visitors to be drawn to the images first, while in the second iteration they were able to interact with the categories of the menu.
Through crafting the story page in the form of a timeline, we showcased the unique authenticity of our client’s story and brand.
We created an interactive menu, and Lucy Xu created illustrative icons to showcase informational features about each product.
Through client feedback and the final round of user testing, we found that the final design represents the rediscovered brand more. Additionally we found that the new site is intuitive, engaging, and inviting for exploration.
