Behind the Curtain — Picnicka website design – By Relatable Design Co, Rocketspark Design Partner
In the ‘Behind the Curtain’ series we sit down with Rocketspark Design Partners to explore their work and how the Rocketspark platform and partnership program has helped grow their design businesses. This week we chatted with Minja van der Paard of Relatable Design Co on her recent work for Picnicka
The brief
Picnicka is a European-inspired restaurant and bar in Tauranga. It’s designed as a place for people to come together, feel at home and enjoy some nourishing food and divine drinks.
The first part of the brief was to create a simple holding page as Picnicka’s opening date was some time away. It contained a video background of a bustling village market, the logo, contact information and a link to their Instagram page.
When it came closer to the opening date, I started working on the new, full website.
The brief was to keep it strongly on brand, minimalistic and highly functional. The site had to have intuitive navigation, an easy to find menu and clear calls to action to book a table online. The booking feature needed to work with the venue’s booking system to avoid booking issues or excessive manual input. Mobile-friendliness was hugely important, given most guests check out a venue on their phones before deciding to go or make a reservation. Links to their social media channels also had to be included.
Joining their other businesses’ websites, the client chose to build the website on Rocketspark, a New Zealand based website builder.
The Design Response
To translate the look and feel defined in the provided brand guidelines and the client’s vision and requirements into the digital space, I created a full-width, two column based website framework using light-coloured backgrounds and photos. The warm grey colour creates a welcoming, comforting and homey feeling. It also provides contrast to areas with white backgrounds to visually structure, but not divide the different sections on a page.
To make the short paragraphs of the copy stand out and a focus at the same time, I used plenty of white space which also helps create the elegant, open and welcoming look the client was after.
Using Picnicka’s primary brand colour red for main headings and buttons helps the hierarchy of each page and draws attention to calls to action.
The beautiful photography captures the interior design of the place, provides an atmospheric glimpse into what to expect and really helps to sell the food and dining experience of the restaurant.
In addition to connecting the website with their social media accounts using linked icons, I integrated their Instagram page as a live feed. This was a vital component to highlight as this platform is primarily used by their target audience and is important in portraying the vibe of the place, the fresh food and crafted drinks.
There was a lot of thinking around the backend setup as I had to connect the website with their third-party booking system, ResDiary. It was a challenge to blend it in with the website aesthetics, but after exploring the integrations’ design options, I achieved a fitting result.
For keyword research and meta descriptions, I collaborated with an SEO expert to ensure the best possible performance in terms of the findability of the website and targeting their preferred audience.
Taking the time to have a deep dive conversation with the client right at the beginning helped me understand what they wanted to achieve. The clarity around the client’s vision and brand made it an enjoyable process, as it meant I had the necessary information to focus on building the website, without the need to try crossover other areas and fill the gaps.
Working directly with Picnicka’s Marketing Manager made the entire process and communication seamless. Throughout the design and build, we had many conversations about options, explored ideas together and made decisions collaboratively. Working with other professionals who were specialists in their field also played a huge part in creating an outstanding final output.
The highlight of this project has to be Picnicka winning the Rocketspark Website of the Month for June 2022! I am so proud of this award, but I know I couldn’t have done it without the powerhouse of professionals.
Since the website launch last year, the layout and content of the website has evolved to stay up to date with requirements and ease of use for both, the client and their guests. The photography gets updated regularly by the client which keeps the website exciting and fresh.
The Design Team
Website: https://www.relatabledesign.co.nz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relatabledesignco/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/relatabledesignco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minja-van-der-paard-relatable-design-co/
The Client Team
Picnicka
Client details
Website: https://www.picnicka.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picnicka/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/picnickatauranga
Collaborators
Branding: Georgia Barretta, Lovechild London, https://lovechild.london/
Copywriting: Erin Munro, Curated Content, http://curatedcontent.co.nz/
Photography: Jay Drew, Jay Drew Photography, https://www.jaydrewphotography.co.nz/
SEO: Camilla Hansen, Joy Marketing, www.joymarketing.com.au
Website Builder Platform: Rocketspark, https://www.rocketspark.com/nz/
