Pain points:
- Outdated branding that wasn’t true to the destination’s culture
- A jam-packed “Events” page that was difficult to navigate and often sent users off site to find information
Scrawled in pink font across the screen are the words: “Midwest Indie. Yes, really.” Behind the text, several high energy, brightly colored video clips play on a loop, displaying scenes of large crowds and live music. If you didn’t know better, you might assume that this was a website for the latest indie music festival.
This is the destination website for Eau Claire, a small, quirky town in Wisconsin. Hometown of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who co-founded the now-famous Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, Eau Claire is one of the Midwest’s most vibrant music scenes.
Dubbed “The Land of Originality,” the Wisconsin city embraces its quirky culture. And when it came to redesigning their website, the team at Visit Eau Claire knew they wanted to stay as far away from a “corporate feel” as possible. Instead, they wanted a design that didn’t take itself too seriously. A design that would capture the playful essence of Eau Claire.