Background

SitOnIt Seating, a manufacturer of built-to-order desk chairs, made a strategic decision to expand into lounge and lobby furniture. The new brand would employ the same operational aspects that made SitOnIt an industry leader—lead times as short as 10 days (compared to the three-month industry standard), complete customization of the product and competitive pricing. The company hired RiechesBaird to create the new brand and its Web site and launch the brand at the industry’s largest trade show.

Issue

The new brand needed a name and identity that spoke the creative language of its audience—primarily commercial interior designers. It was also critical that the Web site enable these designers to explore, express and expedite the furniture design and specification process. A compressed timeline served as an additional challenge—the project scope included naming, identity development, brand expression, Web site development, sales literature and brand launch materials, all to be completed posthaste.

Strategic Insight

We coined the new brand Ideon for its fundamental purpose—to bring its customers’ ideas to life. We gave it a progressive identity and parlayed that into a brand expression that was applied to launch materials, creative messaging and the Web site.

Instead of using a fairly standard “main navigation bar” interface, we designed the site’s user experience to mirror the way designers actually work. The home page appears as a designer’s work tray, containing samples, snippets and other project ingredients that function as the navigation.

In order to convey the freedom and creativity that the Web site would offer to designers, we created a virtual design experience in the form of a three-dimensional interactive tool. It enabled designers to build furniture from scratch by selecting a style, colors, fabrics and other options, then save the design, place an online order for it or continue experimenting. The site offers several other powerful features including an Inspiration Center for creative help, as well as a powerful database of fabrics, finishes and options.

Result

Upon launch, Ideon became an instant hit in the design community and exceeded its sales targets. The design-driven Web site remains one of the industry’s most functional and respected.

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