See it First: The {r}evolution apparel Website
We’re getting really close to a completed site, which will then be handed over to a web designer for re-formatting, which will then go to a coder for launch. But before we do all that, we want to know your thoughts.
Below are screenshots of the soon-to-be revolutionapparel.com landing page, homepage, and “invest” page. Keep in mind, these are all still rough drafts. We’ll have our designer format it, center and align the text, and all that other technical stuff, but for now, we want to know your initial impressions.
What do you like? What do you not like? What’s confusing? What would you change? What’s your opinion on our font choices, layout, and color scheme?
landing page
homepage
invest
Any and all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. We look forward to hearing your thoughts! {r}
{Note: The sketches on the homepage are ‘fillers’ only. We are currently having an artist draw our designs for launch.}
I like the look and the feel of the site– it’s clean, organized, easy to navigate.
As a perfectionist, I myself would tighten up the line and character spacing in the opening text “The most versatile travel collection” so it’s all lined up into a neat “box” shape.
Although I might be biased as a red-blooded American male, make sure you have a good photo of you two easy to find on the About Us page — easily the most important lesson I’ve learned as a blogger is that human beings want to connect with other human beings, human faces and human stories. It adds a layer of life and true personality that creates an instant bond with the visitor. Don’t be shy!
D
Exactly what I was getting at! I want to see them pretty ladies! ;)
Definitely a good point on tightening up the landing page — Our web designer will be able to do that once we transfer everything into Illustrator and DreamWeaver.
We’ve also talked a lot about that “human element” and have had some disagreement on whether we should include a woman on the landing page instead of just a suitcase. We’ll definitely have our photos on the ‘About Us’ page, as well as a slideshow of other photos from our travels. We’re hoping that will help build that bond you’re talking about. It is SO important.
Thanks for taking the time to help us out, Dave. And don’t hesitate to add anything else that might come to mind!
I’m not sure a generic “woman” picture is needed, for a couple reasons- one, when I as a guy read “travel collection” in reference to clothing, I deduce pretty quickly that the clothes aren’t male-specific.
So it’s kind of implied. And second, with the suitcase, it plays right on with the travel-specific theme!
Never hesitate to include a nice (maybe black and white, artsy photo) of you two at the top of the sidebar or even better perhaps in the footer somewhere that links to the About Us. Never hurts. In fact, always helps!
D
Not “generic woman” but definitely something more feminine, I think! And who knows, maybe we’ll have a men’s line one day too…
We’re starting to think “backpack” instead of “suitcase” — sticks more with who we are and who we want to appeal to (young, hip, adventurous) while keeping with the travel theme.
I like the idea of putting our photo in the footer. Dave, I think you may be our #1 fan! ; )
Lovely stuff here, ladies!
My thoughts: The landing page with the suitcase is the most impactful visually; however it has a very “manly” feeling… for lack of a better word. Like, I don’t readily get that this a line for ladies who like to travel, but maybe you are trying to reach out to dudes for investment? Who exactly are you targeting? Perhaps there could be some more “softer” elements…? I’m not really sure what that’d be… a lady, perhaps? Ha! YOU!
It would be cool to see some of your personalities showing thru on the site, too! Since this line is also partially about your entrepreneurial journey to make it reality… I think people would have a closer connection with the line and what it’s all about.
I hope that helps! Fab stuff!
Great point about the landing page, Barbra. As I said to Dave, we’re still in some discussion over that suitcase picture. We had one friend refer to it as “uni-bomber” (ha!) so we’re definitely taking your thoughts into consideration.
Yes, we’re reaching out to men for investment, but certainly don’t want to target them more than women. We incorporated the third cursive, handwritten font in an attempt to make things more feminine, but I’m not sure that it did the trick! Hopefully our final sketches will soften things up and then of course, everything will change when we have the clothes ready for sale.
We intend to use the ‘About Us’ page to show our personalities, but do you have any suggestions on how to do that throughout the entire site?
Thank you so much for your designer input, Barbra!
Hmm, I feel like tweaking color may help a lot and is something that can be consistent thru-out the site.
What about changing your orange to more of a soft coral/salmon, like in your collection? I consider that “racer orange” a manly EXTREME color.
AND… just another wild thought… what about incorporating a feather from the peacock pattern as an element thru-out? Afterall, feathers stand for “lightweight” and are also girly/sophisticated. And, hey, birds fly and travel a lot. :)
I totally get your use of a simple font with a the cursive. Minimalist with a girly edge. I think that helps too.
A (female) hand on the suitcase or a (female) foot below suitcase would certainly nail down the target gender….although to me the light blue suitcase told me that in the first place. Everything Dave U. said……ditto. You’re on the right track.
I think I’m confused by the “travel collection” bit, and the suitcase, etc. I assume that is just a play on the fact that it could fit into a suitcase… but as I understood it this is a minimalist line and when my semi-minimalist brain (extremely so when it comes to clothes) read that, it sounded like the most excessive thought ever to purchase “travel clothes.” If I didn’t know you two or anything about your line, it would be an immediate reason for me to look no further.
Or am I wrong, and it is a travel collection? If so, I think you might consider not targeting minimalist-ish persons or sustainable advocates as they aren’t your best go to for a situational line of clothing.
Super curious to hear your response.
Kristy, interesting thoughts!
We’ve decided to make our primary target market travelers – who are always minimalist in their lifestyle design. It’s impossible to truly be a nomad without also being a minimalist.
Having said that, the inspiration for the line was equally from a travel perspective and a minimalist perspective. But, it’s really tough to get across two messages effectively, so we decided to take things from the travel end.
What are your thoughts on this? How could we more effectively send the message that this is for people who want to cut down on their wardrobe, whether they are traveling OR staying put?
This is something that we NEVER thought about – that people would percieve it as situational! And that is totally not what we’re going for – we want this to be percieved as a solution for any occasion, season, time in life. Thank you SO much for pointing this out, and of course, all suggestions on how we can get our true message across are appreciate (x100!)
To me, “travel clothes” don’t mean an extra set of clothes for travel. It means “vagabond lifestyle” …..where everything I own could fit in one bag of some kind–suitcase, backpack, string bag (my personal favorite.) What do you throw your clothes in Kristin, Shannon, Kristy? I’ve been known to pack in a grocery bag. lol Guess that isn’t the best photo to use. the retro suitcase was kinda fun….Is being “literal” necessary ??
Looks pretty awesome! I’m excited :)
I think these comments are great, and the fact that you guys are open and looking for feedback so in the end you have an awesome site.
My thoughts are primarily about the landing page since this is the first thing people will see. If they aren’t drawn in they won’t go any further so my first thought, why is there a big, old fashioned suitcase? I don’t know what that says about your target market (young, hip, adventurous?) or about your company (young, hip, adventurous).
In the least, I thought why isn’t this a backpack… I know there was another image of a girl in boots standing on a suitcase (too many clothes = can’t close the suitcase) which told me a little more of a story and I thought it had a younger feel.
I agree with the other comments about finding a personal way to connect with your potential customers and even shots of both of you sagging under the weight of your packs with a “never again” type message would maybe give the viewer more insight into how this all started.
Keep up the good work! I know what you come up with in the end will be outstanding!!
Terry, definitely a good thought about the backpack… We’re thinking that nixing the suitcase might be best. Plus, Kristy’s thoughts really hit home so it’s time for some more brainstorming! This sort of makes me crazy… but I’m glad we’re getting all this feedback!
“CRAZY” is an understatement! : )
I actually really like the landing page with the vintage suitcase contrasted with the modern font and logo (and I’m a young woman, which I guess is your target demographic?). It’s my favorite page of the ones shown. Only thing is that – if I didn’t already know your product – I would think the “versatile travel collection” was a line of luggage, not clothing. Or is that me being dense?
Oh man! Not at all – that’s a totally valid point! We thought about putting “apparel” or “clothing” instead of collection, so we will MOST definitely revisit that. We’ve been looking at this so long that we’re cross-eyed… so even the obvious is escaping us at this point. All other thoughts are appreciated! Thanks so very much!
Yea, “collection” kinda read “going to Bermuda on holiday in January, 1980″ to me….cruise clothing. yikes.
Yes! I think that “travel collection” could be confusing. Could definitely read as “luggage collection” with just the suitcase on the front. Totally agree.
Very good point!
This is my first comment on your blog. Hooray.
I really like it. I actually think the travel idea is legit. It’s a great angle to find a niche market. I think you can be travel-oriented with minimalistic values at the heart of everything.
As for specifics, the clean and simple layout is refreshing. Easy to navigate and peruse. I like that.
Could be cool to get the gray socialize box to float as one scrolls. So that it’s always on screen, always encouraging the viewer to sign up or tweet or whatever (does that make sense?).
And if minimalism is the way you want to go, you could easily cut out one of the three fonts or even the continents image in the header.
That’s it. Lovin’ the progress.
Andy! First comment! Yay!
We were thinking about making the Facebook button (upper left) sticky, but hadn’t thought about the socialize buttons. That might be really effective..
I’m glad you like the cleanliness of it. I’m not 100% about the map, but it does add another element that I think is lacking without it. Do you think it’s too “dude oriented”? We have a sort of… androgynous sense of design…
I think the landing page is the kicker in terms of travel vs minimalism vs just plain people who want more simplicity. We’re gonna rework that and put it up again for suggestions : )
When you comin’ home?
Wow, what a response from the audience. So stoked for you two (three, including Emily!) to get the site up and running–yet another milestone. Keep it up!
Thanks much Alan! You’re the best. We are totally questioning a lot of things after posting this which is GREAT! I’m sure we’ll be doing it again before launch : )
Oh wow, that definitely adds a whole another spark of personality to the site. I’m looking forward to seeing it run live. =)
Thanks, Tyler! We’re making a lot of changes as the advice rolls in so all thoughts appreciated : )
I’m totally new here, having linked over from Project 333 (Always been eco minded, but I’ve just started to really embrace and live the declutter/simplify life concept).
My initial response to the landing page was: ohhh, pretty and modern, but “travel” made me second guess whether or not your line is intended for me- even though I think it is after reading a bit about you and the project. So I get what Kristy was saying. I agree that trying to blend minimalist with travel-bound would be difficult. Though I’m a 31 year old stay at home mom so I’m not going anywhere soon, but love the idea of a minimalist wardrobe (maybe because my “mommy brain” doesn’t always function well and I’m usually in a hurry, knowing everything matches no matter what I grab is appealing??). I realize you can’t target every niche market, but I’m just throwing it out there :) Maybe decrease the font size of the word travel? Or find a way to incorporate the homepage’s tag line on the landing page?
Also, reading Lindsey’s comment about “collection” and the suitcase made that view super obvious too, so I second nixing “collection” from the landing page at least. I’d also probably be put off (for lack of a better term) by a big backpack though.
Sorry if what I’m saying doesn’t make any sense or I sound super critical- I don’t mean to be! Love what you both are doing and I’ll even “show some love” & buy you some of that coffee to keep you going ;)
Great to wake up to so many observations – all of which help us think this through! I’m running out the door, but want to reply to each of these. Thanks so, so very much to all for your thoughts – we need that good criticism to make it work! : )
Amy, so glad you found us from 333! Love that Courtney Carver : ) I think you guys are completely right about the first impression of “travel clothes.” Which we never thought about before, so I’m really, really happy that you brought it up.
We’re thinking about nixing the suitcase, and maybe going for some sort of backpack imagery. And taking out the words “travel” and “collection” or re-writing that copy altogether. While we ARE a travel clothing line, we don’t want to immediately alienate those who are looking for a simple and versatile solution to the cluttered wardrobe. You guys have totally helped us see that.
We are, first and foremost, clothing for the person who is looking to simplify for whatever reasons. So thanks for reminding us of that again, and for your thoughtful comments! Glad to have you on board!
wow girrrls, I’m impressed. Really like the look of it – clean, simple and stylish. Me likey !
Just make sure that you stay consistent:
same colors (define your brand color and USE IT EVERYWHERE ;)
same fonts
same overall layout.
Other than that – it’s cool !
But plz make your copy fun ! No boring-ass corporate style !
Mars, like I said, microbrew’s in the mail. But then again, I guess your German self won’t be so impressed by our American craft beer. You’re kind of the best of the best! We’re using 3 fonts total for the site, and sticking with the same layout for all pages except the homepage… And we’re thinking that our Halloween orange and black might need to be nixed for something a bit more “girly” – I’ll send you a more final version as we tweak for your expert branding advice : )
Love where this is all going!
I’m going to second the thought that the orange color is a bit extreme, although it does capture the eye quickly!
I really like the overall layout and concur that photos of the ladies should be included. I love going to websites and having a face to them – being able to see the people who are behind the operation. Definitely makes me more likely to purchase.
The discussion between travel and minimalist is an interesting one. Maybe this is a challenge that you can solve through your blog. i.e. drive your main market to your home page, but find your minimalist followers through specific and targeted blog posts. I fall into both camps and cannot wait for the line debut! Is there more information about the profit share and getting you all caffeinated at the moment or do we need to wait until the site debut?
Really like that you’re putting this stuff into the public sphere and asking for feedback. Super, super awesome!
Cheers,
Justine
Justine, that’s a great idea about using the blog to seek out our specific target markets. We are so excited that you’re interested in our line and looking forward to its debut — makes all this hard work A LOT easier!
We will keep you posted about the profit share and the coffee : ) We’re aiming to get our Kickstarter campaign going by September, so stay tuned!
Thanks again for all your thoughtful comments and suggestions!
I LOVE IT!!
Thanks, Casey!!!
I. Am. So. EXCITED!!!!! For You Ladies ;)
LOVE the orange dot logo. I think that will stay VERY recognizable. And I personally love the orange/blue color combination, so the strong use of both is pretty pictures to my eyeballs.
As for the copy/site/etc. I got confused as well with the “Travel Collection” and suitcase picture. I first thought luggage. The next page explains the marriage of the two concepts, but you need people to get past your landing page.
Also agree with the picture comment. I get very frustrated with websites about small companies that I can’t find out about the people associated with the company. Macy’s, I could give a shit about the executives. Small online boutique specifically built around catering to individuals? I care. So yes. Pictures. Your personal stories (just mini little snippet paragraphs of stories even).
Which brings me to the last part. And that is copy. Your apparel is a Revolution, your copy should be as well. Make sure that it rocks and shines with your awesome personalities and the greatness of your project. That is what will keep the folks poking around your site, constantly craving more.
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN! Can’t wait for the launch. :)
Also (god, will this chick ever shut up?!) ;)
Not knowing what your line is exactly, it doesn’t exactly strike me as frilly/feminine/girly. Could be TOTALLY off on that one.
BUT
Consider, those looking for a frilly pretty site may be turned off if the clothes are more minimalist/structured/androgynous.
And those looking for the more structured line might be turned off by a girly site.
Consider the brand/style your line aligns with, and make the site reflect that (I could be totally off and you are going for a very girly line, in which case, carry on as if I was never here with a second comment!)
AHH! Your comment makes ME super excited! Haha. Sometimes I forget about how cool this all really is until someone reminds me : )
We’re re-thinking the color scheme, but I’m glad to know that you dig it. We don’t want to change it and get too feminine…But we also don’t want to be Halloween themed…
Sounds like everyone is on board with nixing “collection” and the suitcase, so we’re gonna rework all of that and come up with something that makes more sense/is more in line with what we’re about.
We’ve also got an “about us” “our story” “the collection” and “sustainability” page, so hopefully that will be sufficient until we get the “SHOP” button up : ) We’re putting together some travel photos so rest assured, you’ll get to see our sweet mugs on there!
I hope you’ll give us your thoughts on the next go round. Thank you SO, so very much for weighing in and helping us make this awesome! Really appreciated!
Kristin has been on “comment reply” duty as I’ve been in San Antonio for the past two days. I just want to add how appreciative we are to have such a responsive and thoughtful community around us. We are VERY lucky girls and truly value everything you guys have said. Thank YOU for helping us make this the best project it can possibly be : ) You all ROCK.
There were two thoughts I recently had regarding the website.
I think the layout flows nicely, and the copy is great, but I think it needs a little more color! The pale blue and orange against so much white kind of washes out everything a bit. My mom (marketing pro) also mentioned that women tend not to respond to that dark orange color very well, so maybe brighten up the orange a bit?
Also, like Elisa said, I see how the suitcase against travel collection could potentially confuse people into thinking it’s a luggage collection!
Adrienne, good points on the color — we were going for “simple” and “minimalist” but we definitely don’t want everything to look washed out! Hopefully that issue will be solved once we get actual photos of the clothes up on the site, but in the meantime, we’ll try to figure out a temporary solution.
We’re working on the dark orange dot, as well. Thinking maybe an aqua, but we haven’t found anything we like better. I think we’re kind of unconventional girls in that way — Kristin and I don’t respond to pink, purple or “girly” colors very well! : )
We’ve already started revamping the landing page to avoid the whole “luggage collection” confusion. Definitely a great point!
Thanks for your input and all your other hard work with us!
I’m so excited for this!! I like the clean look and feel but yes, the colors could have a bit more contrast. :)
We’re definitely giving the color scheme a boost… going with a coral instead of an orange, and trying to balance “pretty” and “minimalist.” I think we’re ALMOST done, but then it’s got to go to a REAL designer and coder and all of that… Hopefully it’ll be up before TOO too long : )
Gaah!!! When can I buy?! :)
I’ve been an aspiring minimalist for about two years, and a nomad for about 5 months. In the process I’ve gotten rid of about 90% of my clothing: everything I didn’t absolutely need or love, anything that was stained or old beyond repair.
I recently did a clothing audit of what I’ve got in my suitcase and have a list of specific items that need to be replaced; but I want to buy clothing that is good for the environment and good for people. AND cute. Which is hard to come by…
Love the clean boldness of the site mockups.
Thank you ladies for all of your work! Looking forward to evolving (and shopping) with you!
You have no idea how happy it makes us to hear from people like you, Michelle! You are the EXACT type of person we want wearing our line.
Our signature piece will be out by the end of 2011 and then the rest of the line will follow. Stay tuned for more to come — we’ll be fundraising through Kickstarter in November (eek!) and would be so grateful for your support in any way you can!
Thanks again for all the kind words : )
Oh, and if you need to buy replacement clothes, in the meantime, we have a list of some ethical companies here.