Challenge: Communicating value and expertise
The original Sound Advice website was difficult to navigate as a customer, frustrating to manage, offered poor visual and listening experiences, and made it difficult to to reach the team.
Solution: A modern, focused experience for their target audience
A simple, direct, and visually attractive experience that would appeal to their core audience: media marketing executives. Strategy workshops identified the need to elevate audio content, communicate their values and experience, and make it effortless for clients to discover the team and reach out.
The Sound Advice team needed a lean, attractive site with an intuitive backend that allowed them to focus on creating and sharing audio.
I examined the existing site, what it was doing and where it fell short. Next, I met with the team and outlined desired changes. A critical element of a successful site would be their ability to maintain it themselves. To make this possible I sorted content into two categories: dynamic and static. Dynamic content would live in a content management system, using pre-styled elements for repeat content like audio spots.
Media marketers (clients) wanted critical info at a glance to instill confidence and start a conversation.
- Prominent client list of big name studios + testimonials
- Audio samples immediately available
- Information about the team
- Easy contact from any page
A new content structure, based on identified user needs, provides essential information on one scrollable page. Supplementary pages contain additional information.
Visual Design & Branding
In show biz, looks matter; the site needed to reflect this. We agreed to start fresh, retaining key brand assets like their logo and primary orange.
Direction 1: Hi-tech - Sophisticated with a dark cinema theme and fine details. While we liked the professionalism, it lacked an essential friendliness.
Direction 2: Billboard - Punchy and loud with impactful type and imagery. The boldness and conversational tone worked well, but it didn't feel welcoming.
Direction 3: Startup - The perfect balance of bold and friendly, with large scannable typography and fun graphic elements that match the studio's personality.
Development
Figma page layouts and design system were replicated in Webflow then optimized for responsiveness on all screen sizes.
Webflow CMS allows Sound Advice to edit and update their projects as needed without a developer.
