BASIC/DEPT®

Silver
Oak

Business Blog/Website / People's Voice Winner
BASIC/DEPT®

Business Blog/Website

"We wanted to capture the essence of a visit to this winery and make it as accessible to people all over the world as they made it to us as their guests." BASIC/DEPT®

Q: Can you describe your project and the concept behind it?

A: Silver Oak winery asked us to build out a new vision for their digital presence that could capture the essence of the brand — one that visually balanced a modern aesthetic with classic elegance in order to act as a flagship destination for one of the most beloved wines in production. We aimed to build out a digital platform that took inspiration from the experience of drinking a glass of Silver Oak wine at their world class winery.

Q: Tell us about your initial moodboard, wireframe, or prototype. How did things change throughout the process?

A: Our brand experience was very much in line with the design we were able to bring together. As a testament to our engineering team, they found creative ways to bring the elegance and essence to life that the design team was aiming for. The collaboration with that team created an experience that was not only true to the original vision, but one that took it further through animation and storytelling systems built to take the brand into the future.

Q: What influenced your chosen technical approach, and how did it go beyond past methods?

A: Fundamentally, we wanted to maintain a few key pieces of the infrastructure based on our client’s operational investment in their existing platform. So, we compartmentalized new elements of the build in order to power key pieces of the new platform. This allowed us to deliver the experience we aimed to while preserving critical pieces of their commerce platform and allowing us to revisit these elements of the platform in the future.

When did you experience a breakthrough or an "a-ha" moment during this project?

The breakthrough moment came for all of us on our visit to the winery. One of the amazing aspects of Silver Oak wine was the winery in Alexander Valley. The experience for all of us meeting David Duncan and the rest of the Silver Oak family was one that we could never forget. We wanted to capture the essence of a visit to this winery and make it as accessible to people all over the world as they made it to us as their guests.


Q: What web technologies, tools, and resources did you use to develop this?

A: This is a WordPress template built with React to drive a more immersive front-end. Powered by Kinsta hosting.

Q: How did the final product meet or exceed your expectations?

A: We were able to build out a platform for the Silver Oak brand that captured the balance of traditional elegance and modern innovation. Everything about the experience from the visual design to the motion and interaction was not only a compelling testament to the experience of being at the winery, but it also acts as a platform for telling stories and connecting with the brand fans that the team at Silver Oak needed to tell.

Q: Why is this an exciting time to create new digital experiences? How does your team fit into this?

A: For Silver Oak, part of the experience of the brand is a visit to their iconic winery. With the last few years of the pandemic their fans were unable to have that experience. This platform became a way for the brand to deliver their consumers something new, different and interesting at a time when people were craving deeper experiences. Our team is always focused on building out things that are true to the brand experience.
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