Singing Tree Gardens
Products the reinvigorate business and catalyze change.
Legacy Agency Design Project -> from 2017
The Back Story
With over a thousand specialty plants for sale, Singing Tree Gardens is a true gem of the North Coast. When Don Wallace first gave my company EvenVision a phone call he was seeking help to boost his email newsletter sales which has begun to fall. However, it became apparent in conversations that the real issue his business was struggling with was that their current website was a decade old and struggling to keep pace.
The founder Don Wallace tasked my team at EvenVision with creating a cleaner, simpler experience to retain his current clientele while also expanding the business’s reach to the next generation.
I proceeded to guide the design for a complete overhaul, aimed at purposefully crafting simplicity for visitors arriving on the site and for Don who needed to keep the site up to date. Additionally, I lead the rediscovery and crafting of a new visual identity of Singing Tree Gardens.
Uncovering the real problem meant asking the right questions.
Before & After Comparison
Looking back now, even Don admits that his previous website was a problem. But when Don originally approached us he had a love for his site as it was something that he himself had crafted. Convincing Don to let go of his own creation (that he himself nurtured and helped grow) required careful thought-provoking conversations and questions that dived to the root of his business problems.
Developing a Solution
Business Analysis
We started together as a team just talking with our client and trying to understand his true pain points. This time invested in conversation was critical in the production of a success.
Competitive Analysis
I lead the analysis of competitors on the market and noted that visually they were all almost identical. Literal white space. Sans-serif neutral font. The works. Additionally, I discovered a key pattern we leveraged on the homepage and filter systems for plant taxonomies.
Researching Technology Solutions
Our lead engineer provided the initial research for technological solutions and I provided the user experience and product perspective. Ultimately instead of building from scratch, we selected a combination of Drupal for Content Management Systems and Shopify eCommerce platform blends.
Information Architecture
I lead the team in developing an information architecture for the website that would allow for a seamless experience between our technological solution of Drupal and Shopify.
Visual Brand Design
Additionally, I sat with the client and discussed at great length the visual branding that they currently had. Through this discussion, I learned about the key characteristics that they cherished in their identity and by combining it with our competitive analysis we were able to begin crafting something truly visually unique.
User Experience Design
Lastly, I lead the fine-tuning of the website’s user experience and formation of the backend products that would support our client’s business growth.
The simple product that DROVE real success and change within his business.
Out-of-stock request V0
Selling plants is unlike anything else - because they have to grow first. Originally when Don ran out of a plant he would remove that product from his website to keep people from placing orders for it. However, this is bad for numerous reasons, primarily because it shrinks the potential value of the site for prospective planters, while additionally reducing the Search Engine Optimization of the website for rare and exotic plants.
With the new site, I designed a really basic out-of-stock a basic V0 request system that proved to be so successful that after 2 years his requests for out-of-stock plants had already hit over 10,000. What this meant is that once a plant got back into stock, he could send a notification to individuals on the list and almost immediately guarantee to make a sale. Once a plant was ready for sale, with the out-of-stock system in place
Prior to the end of my tenure at EvenVision I had laid the systematic design structure for a V1 that would allow him bulk send notifications & establish automatic sequences for plants that regularly go in-and-out as well as bulk edit and remove individuals on the list. Additionally, the system would be expanded to include filters for various plants, and establish automated threshold warnings for Don which would allow him to more easily adjust his planting and understanding of the demand for specific plants.
Lastly, the system would be modified to provide notifications of out-of-stock plants with additional recommendations attached to the email of plants to map to key taxonomies.
Striking Visual Design.
It doesn’t happen over night. Unless your a plant…
Visual Identity Cornerstone
Crafting a new logo is really the construction of a new Visual Identity Cornerstone from which the rest of the brand pivots. Designing a new identity for Singing Tree Gardens required careful conversations between the client and I to really nail down the direction and intent. At first, we jumped on the Japanese theme heavily, only to discover that the optimal imagery needed to present less ancestry and Japanese culture and focus more on long-term growth, harmony, and elegance that fused together American-folk and Japanese cultural cues.
Colors as unique as the business…
Overhauling their visual identity was a delicate task. Desiring to not alienate faithful customers, but with a need to present a more mature and professional image to capture new generations, my path to redesigning Singing Tree’s Gardens’ visual identity started by rediscovering what made their business tick.
To stand out in a crowded field Singing Tree Gardens needed colors as unique as their rare and exotic plants.
Results that change a business.
#1 position
Singtree.com is currently ranked #1 for "Rhododendrons for sale" & "Dwarf Conifers for sale" on Google.
7 months
It took only 7 months in 2017 with the new website to match all of 2016's sales.
69% increase
Total sales for 2017 were up by 69% compared to 2016.
158% increase
Total sales for 2018 were up by 158% compared to 2016.
Personal Reflections
Design can be simple and make huge waves. Never underestimate the power of exceedingly simple solutions to complex problems. Like a plant that starts off as a little seed. With the proper care and attention that seed can grow into a magnificent plant and bring beauty and life to everything around it.
Singing Tree Gardens is the perfect example of a simple design.
Simple = Refined