The research phase
Functional sites vs. charismatic sites
Websites can be divided into two macro categories: useful ones and charismatic ones. Obviously, each layout follows logics dictated by both functionality and empathic power at the same time, but not always in equal measure. Functional sites subordinate every aesthetic choice to a principle of efficiency and rationalism, in order to pursue a very specific marketing strategy. Those that focus on character instead aim to excite: by exuding style they try to generate empathy in the user.
Strategic aesthetics
However, it is wrong to say that there is no strategy behind these sites with a strong aesthetic appeal. The strategy manifests itself precisely in the construction of an exaggerated charm. On the other hand, a restaurant or cocktail bar is chosen mainly for its attitude. These were the conditions for giving substance to the online presence of Castelli in Aria, Max and Denj Cecchin’s renowned venue in Castelfranco Veneto.
The construction of identity
Disinhibitory overwhelm
Notorious Agency has worked in continuity with the Brand Identity work created in past years, here is the case history. Excite your papille buds is the motto suitable for such an overwhelming personality, which has the ambition of making customers abandon themselves to the pleasures of good food and good drinking.
A lexicon between the posh and the breathtaking
Restaurant – Bar – Events: this could have been the navigation menu. But Castelli in Aria is a place with a unique, eclectic personality: every detail of the site had to be posh and carefully researched, without ever falling into banality. Sazi – Ebbri – Euforici. Trés bien.
GIF GIF GIF
Gifs have enormous empathetic power: they immediately give shape to emotions and elicit a reaction. Achieving a post-internet flavored result, we introduced gifs into the layout with references to vintage cinema, portraying distinguished, sensual, and captivating characters. A smile is guaranteed.
User Interface
Brutalism
Brutalism is a graphic style that enjoys questioning, without too many compromises, standard shapes, dimensions and alignments, which now smack of respectability. It is a mode of expression that aims to undermine what we are used to expecting, proposing a new intriguing aesthetic. And all this could only be in line with the philosophy of Castelli in Aria.
User Experience
An essential architecture
Each page responds promptly to every single pre-established objective:
- Home → Exposure of attitude
- Sazi → Explanation of the restaurant offer
- Ebbri → Exhibition of refined cocktails
- Euforici → Diffusion of events
- Contacts and Reservations → Management of reservations
Sazi: it’s time to intrigue
Those who dine at Castelli don’t go seeking certainties, but rather the adrenaline of the unexpected. The first menu, therefore, features dishes that are no longer made but still express the restaurant’s culinary philosophy, which is in constant evolution. By scrolling the page, users are guided to discover the dishes that the current menu offers.
Ebbri: the drama of choice
The boldly playful vocation also reverberates in the UX, i.e. in the user experience. In “Ebbri” the cocktails – which are offered at random – are presented in association with an emotional state. The page is interactive and is designed to entertain the user.
Euforici: as if it were a playlist
Euforici is the page dedicated to the promotion of events organized by Castelli in Aria. The inspiration for the creation of the layout was that of the music player interface.
Customer wishes
The objectives were very clear: to describe the world of Castelli in Aria on the web in an exhaustive way, intriguing users with the bar-restaurant’s offer. In particular, it was necessary:
- Enhance the identity image of the venue
- Enhance the identity image of the venue
- Show off his sophisticated cocktails
- Disseminate the club’s events more widely
- Manage table reservations online
