West Overton Village is a preserved 19th-century village that was transformed into a museum in 1928. Today they offer tours of the Overholt 19th century homestead, self-guided tours of an exhibition in the Museum and village, tastings and bottle sales in their educational rye whiskey distillery, and regular interactive programming and venue rentals.
West Overton Village needed a website that would showcase offerings beyond the renowned distillery and venue rentals. They needed to expand the footprint to include their museum, tours, events, and the village at large. The mission extended beyond mere awareness; we needed to position West Overton Village as a versatile destination where visitors could tailor their experience based on individual interests. They had recently completed a comprehensive brand redesign and it was our job to make the website an immersive and engaging extension of the brand.
Our team created a website that serves as a comprehensive showcase, positioning the village as a destination for community members eager to delve into history and engage with the diverse offerings. Employing a rapid development approach and leveraging a full-stack code framework, the website now acts as a dynamic hub, enabling users to learn, engage, and customize their journey through the expansive heritage and offerings.
During the strategy phase, we meticulously crafted a comprehensive site map and wireframes, setting the foundation for a user-centric website. Recognizing the diverse user base, including community members, corporate groups, schools, educators, group leaders, and couples planning weddings, we knew we needed to prioritize intuitive user-journey mapping throughout the site. Additionally, website users needed to be able to easily plan their visit to the village, so mobile display and responsiveness would need to be paramount. Our team understood that the website needed to get prospective visitors excited about their upcoming visit through captivating imagery, engaging video, and immersive content.
The design approach for West Overton Village's website focused on seamlessly integrating the rich history, heritage, and preservation ethos of the physical site into the digital space. West Overton Village previously selected fonts such as HWT Vanlanen for primary headlines, P22 Victorian Gothic for subheadings, and Superclarendon Light for body copy to maintain a cohesive and period-appropriate aesthetic. We integrated those as well as previously established brand elements into the design to create a harmonious connection between the website and physical destination.
The transformation of West Overton Village's website not only met the challenge of expanding its online presence beyond the renowned distillery and venue rentals but successfully positioned the destination as a versatile hub for history enthusiasts and community members. Through strategic design choices and a user-centric approach, the website now serves as an immersive extension of the brand, inviting visitors to explore the rich heritage, diverse offerings, and customizable experiences awaiting them at this 19th-century preserved village.