Avoid Sitting on the Redesign Fence

In one of our first meetings during which we discussed potential designs for their website, Flying Circle Bags (FCB) divulged that they've gone through at least three pretty radically different logos in their nearly 18 years. As FCB owner Jimmy Chittim likes to say, there's no bad time to change a logo. That's an attitude we love to see, because there truly isn't ever a bad time to re-evaluate the effectiveness of any of your marketing tools.

Overcoming Obstacles

When FCB came to Digett, they were already in the midst of rediscovering their company identity, analyzing their product line, and seeking advice from bag industry consultants. They were still sorting out—and, in fact, still are sorting out—what they wanted their core message to be.

They knew, though, that their legacy website was starting to look a little dated; competitors had online stores that were more sophisticated, and they had an untapped market of potential customers, but they needed to make some changes to reach out to that audience. So, identity completely defined or not, it was full steam ahead with a new website.

The challenge here was deciding how to set the proper tone for a company that hadn't yet nailed down all their preferred marketing nuances. We had grand visions of photography involving models and ruggedly landscaped backgrounds but, ultimately, we settled on showcasing the one thing that was least likely to work against any future decisions—we made the bags themselves the stars.

Creating Solutions

Digett photographer and designer Andrew McClintock spent a day out at the FCB compound until he had perfect products shots of every bag. We've enveloped those in a design that's clean, yet strong.

The foundation the design lays should still appeal to FCB's traditional military audience from Army & Air Force Exchange Service outlets on bases and posts around the world. By moving away from strong military associations in the design, however, FCB hopes to also entice and expand their audience to civilian retail customers. With a product line containing backpacks, briefcases, duffels, and more, FCB's bags should appeal to everyone from soldiers, to outdoor enthusiasts, to business professionals, and we wanted to make that clear.

We also increased and streamlined their online store's overall functionality and professionalism by utilizing the powerful e-commerce solution, Ubercart.

Overall, we've tried to provide FCB with a solid foundation for any further identity changes and growth, especially since their goals are still in flux. As it is, since the beginning of development, we've already switched out two new logos on the site. That's okay, because although those changes had to be made, FCB has already seen a return on investment from the increased number of purchases on their new site.

Moving Forward

Maybe you've found yourself in FCB's boat: recognizing a need for change, but worried about jumping the gun before plans are solidified. Redesigning your website—in many cases, your public face—can revitalize your image and welcome new business. Change is an ongoing, neverending, process, but a new site can provide a platform that will make future change more effective and easier.

It's time to get off that fence.