HENRY HEARNS SUMMER 2016
The work shown was completed in the Summer of 2016 during an internship with SplinterWorks, a bespoke luxury furniture and fittings company based in Bath. All photos and works belong to SplinterWorks. I would like to thank them for their kind permission for use of all content in this portfolio.
Redesigning a website
SplinterWorks Ltd is a company based in Bath, UK. After my application for an internship was accepted, I was asked to redesign their website. The site had to be updated by them on regular occasion, needed to keep to the company’s aesthetic and also had to be suitable for all mediums; desktop, mobile and tablet.
SplinterWorks create luxury bespoke commisions, both furniture and installations. They are most famous for creating a hammock-like bathtub that suspends between two walls. away from the floor. As a result, their clientel base is small, so the products had to be shown in a dramatic and romantic fashion.
One feature that I was informed must be carried across from the company’s old website was the monochromatic minimalism. This was not a problem as I agreed with it entirely. The RGB Black accompanied by darker greys allowed the products to naturally place themselves at the forefront of the page, with no other single component competing for attention. The dark environment right from the homepage also adds to the elegance of the pieces and produces a very luxurious feel. From the start the customer is greeted with all the necessary information from the company; their name and their specialities, which is branded across the top of the screen for the entirety of their visit. On closer inspection, the three SplinterWorks Portfolios can be viewed, each taking pride of place alongside the next on the home screen. Over thirty products are split between the three portfolios: Carbon Fibre Bathroom products, Furniture and Fittings and Kitchens and Interiors. All of the products are laid out in a grid system for easy access. Portfolio pages have slideshows at the top of them to show glimpses of the products to receive a greater understanding as to which piece may suit their interests best when browsing, instead of a spray-andpray attitude, choosing a page at random. A customer is never more than three clicks away from viewing a product in full detail. The premise is simple: home screen to portfolio to product. All three portfolios as well as several helpful features can be accessed from the Menu, situated in the top right corner of every screen.
Permanently branded into the top right corner of the screen on every page is the central Menu. All three Portfolios can be accessed quickly from this location, as well as other key pages. One of the most important of these key pages, which was by far the most complicated to construct, is the brochure download page.
The footer of every page holds three more useful links. Both ‘General’ and ‘Press’ enquiry links will open an email template, complete with subject, in the users desktop. Each enquiry link goes to the relevant department within the company. The footer is also home to the company’s social media links and legal information
The most complex system, and arguably the most important page on the site, is the Brochure Download. The page was built as a coordinated effort between myself and one of SplinterWork’s Directors. The main feature is a CRM form built in tandem with a data collection website. This enables the Splinterwork’s Directors to follow up on possible leads for future projects.
Depending on the details entered into the form, one of several corresponding brochures will be presented to the customer (for example Country differs the language and interest differs the brochure subject). This form can then be downloaded and/or printed for personal domestic or industrial use.
EDUCATION
SPECIALITIES
QUALIFICATIONS A LEVELS
Churcher’s College
Design and Technology Chemistry Economics
Nottingham Trent University
DEGREE (Undergraduate) Product Design BA (Hons)
henryhearns@btinternet.com 07853 124 818