It was time for a fresh start. The brewery had grown a ton since opening 7 years prior: adding two additional taprooms, a packed public events schedule, a promising private events offering, and was quickly expanding distribution. Plus, the legacy CMS it was built on made it difficult to update. But the main reason I pushed to the lead a redesign was because we were missing a huge opportunity to showcase the story behind the brand.
So, I started the redesign with a blank slate. I started by defining the different use cases for the website, the features I wanted to see in the new CMS, and how we could turn the website into a true asset for the brand. Then, in collaboration with an outside web designer, we mapped out the architecture, going through multiple iterations to nail down the functionality and user experience.
