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Top Web Design Company Vital Creates New Website for Smuttynose

Made by Vital

Beer Brewer’s New Site Features Seamless Navigation and Unparalleled UX Design.

Building a best-in class website that features top web development strategies and unmatched UX design is a lot like brewing beer—it takes time, effort and an insane amount of attention to detail. While this may seem like a stretch, trust us it’s really not. Building a responsive website is so similar to the beer brewing process that we’re willing to bet a six-pack on it. A six-pack of Smuttynose, that is.

As a top web design and development company based in Portsmouth, NH and Boston, MA (no really, you can see the proof on DesignRush) we at Vital couldn’t be more excited to announce the launch of Smuttynose Brewing Company’s new website. This particular website design and development project involved hours upon hours of front-end and back-end work, not to mention countless iterations of design. It was a true team effort—one that resulted in a website far above and beyond the major beer brewer’s original site. See for yourself…

The original Smuttynose website.
new smuttynose website
The new Smuttynose website.

Similar to the way Smuttynose brewers work each and everyday to concoct some of the best beer around, this website involved our team of designers and developers harnessing all of the latest web strategy tools and applications to come up with the best possible website experience—one that marries form and functionality and ensures that UX isn’t adversely affected. Because let’s face it: no one likes beer that tastes bad, and no one spends time on a website that is visually unappealing and hard to navigate.

Here are some features of the new site we think you’ll enjoy:

Easy to Access E-Commerce Opportunities

Thanks to an ecommerce platform developed using WordPress and Magento, visitors to the site can now buy all of the Smuttynose swag they can handle from the brand new Smuttynose Store. Customers can purchase everything from a subscription to Smuttynose’s Big Beer Series and tees, to stickers, mugs, hats and taps. You can even pay to reserve a keg of draft beer.

Creative Director Jesse Rand said the most interactive feature of the ecommerce application is that a user’s cart goes with them no matter where they go on the site. This ever-presence of ecommerce capabilities makes the site that much more interactive and seamless, said Rand.

Beers, Beers and More Beers

Perhaps the most delightful element of the new website involves a beer gallery created by Vital that features every single Smuttynose brew in existence. Visitors to the website can check out everything from classic brews, seasonal and rotating brews and featured brews in the Big Beer series. The gallery features actual images of the Smuttynose beer bottles, and allows visitors learn more about what it took to create each brew.

Smuttynose Beer

Director of Development Adam Walter said the beer gallery features a sliding shelf of beer bottles that allows for 100% engagement. This unparalleled UX design is a “dramatic improvement” from the previous site, said Walter.

Condensed Navigation and Custom Graphics

The navigation of this website was designed specifically to be subtle and less in your face. The Smuttynose symbol was carefully situated at the top of the page so as to be out of the way, but still available. When a user hovers over the symbol it moves, indicating it is not just some placeholder, rather, it is a portal further into the site. Custom graphics were integrated throughout the site, making it much more visually appealing than the previous site.

Senior Designer Ali Baxter said the design of the website was challenging because it was done in concert with the construction of Smuttynose’s new brewery. And because the beer brewer was essentially rediscovering itself in a new home, Baxter said it was up to Vital to build a website that worked with those new branding initiatives and inspirations.

Beer Finder Allows You to Find Your Favorite Brew…No Matter Where You Are

This exciting new feature allows Smuttynose fans to locate their favorite brews all throughout the country. All one has to do is plug in their zip code, favorite beer and what type of business establishment they’re looking for and the website does the rest.

Smuttynose Beer Finder

Results generated by the Beer Finder include the name, address and phone number of the business/establishment that has the beer in stock. This new UX design feature further positions Smuttynose in the national spotlight, allowing customers to access their product no matter where they are.

This latest website launch is just another great success story authored by Vital’s website development and design team. If your website is failing, we feel it’s our obligation to help you change that. If you need help from a few professionals from a digital marketing agency, we encourage you to reach out to us—we’re always here to talk shop.

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