Calling all web designers:
A. PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Podere Scopicciolo is an innovative off-the-grid villa rental in south Tuscany. It combines
traditional architecture with cutting edge eco-friendly technology and contemporary living.
It was built and is currently managed by Marco and Cecilia Durantini. The property has
been open for three years and runs a summer season of 30 weekly rentals that are
currently managed predominantly through vacation agencies.
The project is a redesigning of the website and company identity that will focus on creating
an enhanced presention of the property allowing for direct customer sales and improve
current client word-of-mouth communication.
I. Objectives for site redesign:
1) Display high-resolution photo and video assets in a browser-responsive platform
(i.e., photo and video assets would be scalable depending on mobile, desktop or tablet
devices.)
2) Stimulate prior clientele to revisit and engage their existing social circles to rent the
property as well.
3) Minimize agency competition (e.g., cut profit loss) by providing a state-of-the-art website
that communicates a similiar level of service, trust and experience.
II. Current state of www.poderescopicciolo.com:
1) Limited visbility of existing photo assets (i.e., photos are too small, gallery is not user
friendly or compatible with mobile/tablet, table based design is obsolete.)
2) No integration with Vimeo pro account that has the new promotional video available.
3) All digital assets are static and there is no integrated social sharing for images, video or
text (e.g., Tumblr, Instagram, etc.)
4) Current copy is not engaging or descriptive enough of the property. There is a
significant story to be told regarding the creation and operation of the property which does
not come across in current website sub-pages (i.e., eco-friendly philosophy.)
III. Preferred future state of www.poderescopicciolo.com
1) Gallery images that scale according to browser resolution (i.e., for a current generation
iMac with a display of 2560 x 1800 the site will employ a javascript to call up appropriately
sized photos – see site examples.)
2) Photo and video compression is determined according to user connection speed via
javascript that optimises the site for the user’s connection speed.
3) A flexible CSS formated design based around a MySQL Content Management System
(i.e., WordPress, Indexhibit, etc…)
4) Enhanced site copy that relays the five-star look and feel of Podere Scopicciolo
5) Rebranding of site identity via proprietary typography that is in line with the look and feel
of the current Villa (e.g., communicates exclusivity, design-awareness and a contemporary
hotelier experience.)
Existing web/social media presence:
• Trip Advisor
• Flickr
• YouTube (now defunct – to be replaced by Vimeo)
B. MESSAGING
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This section is intended to provide tone and communication direction to govern the brand
messaging, marketing and resource content on the redesigned website.
Communication Objective:
To expand the preeminence and brand awareness of Villa Scopicciolo as a truly authentic,
unparalled Tuscan experience at a five-star property.
Who are we talking to?
Our primary audiences are:
1) Families
2) Groups of professional friends
3) Wedding parties (TBD)
4) Travel and leisure magazines/online publications
How do we want them to feel when arriving at www.poderescopicciolo.com?
1) We want our audiences to feel that they will be able to access a unique part of Italy at
Podere Scopicciolo, where they can enjoy themselves on a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly
property while experiencing authentic slow-food cuisine, local wine and custom tours of the
surrounding area.
2) We want our audiences to feel that they will have the opportunity to experience a once-
of-a-lifetime getaway that no other commerical villa can offer as told through the website’s
enhanced digital assets (i.e., photos & videos.)
Tone/Voice:
Tone should be professional but not clinical. The copy should be inviting without being
overtly promotional or disingenious.
Voice should be written as if a friend is welcoming you into their home.
Target audiences and main takeaway (what we want them to think) for each:
Audience Main Takeaway
Families “This is somewhere we can relax but also
take our children.”
Groups of professional friends “This is an ideal getaway spot where we
can enjoy each other’s company in a private
setting.”
Wedding parties Please confirm
Travel & lesiure media outlets “This is newsworthy. We need to do a
spotlight on Podere Scopicciolo in our
magazine/website.”
C. DESIGN
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Problems with current site design:
1) Site is one-dimensional and should be multi-faceted to tell Podere Scopicciolo’s unique
story (e.g. more video, interactive elements).
2) Digital assets are static and not responsive to tablet/mobile.
3) Social media is not integrated into the site – huge opportunity cost to engage with our
primary audiences, especially the external media.
4) Guestbook functionality makes guest comments hard to read and is not integrated with
social media sharing.
5) “Our Rooms” tab should be redesigned so that each room has a redirect link to look at
more high definition photos and read a custom description of the room.
6) Use of generic font family (i.e., “Lucida Grande”,”Lucida Sans Unicode”) diminishes
from the exclusivity of the property and overall site design.
Site examples for design reference:
http://noahkalina.com/ – scalability of images and keyboard shortcuts (left – right directional
arrows) for gallery
http://bottaccio.co.uk/ – for large images except for compression artifacts
http://www.gigapixel.com/ for zoomable high definition photos
http://dismagazine.com/ tiled hero content that is customizable on main page
D. TECHNICAL OVERVIEW
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Browser compatability:
Stated requirement: Ensure multi-browser (i.e., Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer)
viewing and provide architecture to ensure that the site is built for mobile and tablet
browsing.
Technical approach: The site will utilize responsive web design to adapt the layout to the
viewing environemnt by using fluid, proportion-based grids and flexible images.
Client operating system and browser version:
Windows – IE8+ and latest browser versions for Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox
