Made to Move: Preform.io
We collaborated with Preform.io, a pioneering digital culture platform that uses kinesthetic interfaces to blend movement into experiential patterns. Preform.io's mission was to envision interactions with new interfaces and facilitate their development into real-world applications.
They needed a brand-new portfolio and website to amplify Preform.io's groundbreaking work and attract new partners. Our team worked closely with Preform.io to craft a strategic digital experience showcasing their visionary approach.
The Challenge
Preform.io primarily targets creative individuals seeking to transcend conventional models for envisioning and executing performances. They aim to empower creatives who embrace emerging digital technologies, enabling them to bring their visions to life and engage a broader audience with their art.
How could we create a company identity that would invite inspire? How might we implement that identity in a new website that would strategically inform and excite potential clients?
ProcessUncover
Discover the client’s story.
Articulate the client’s core values.
Define the client’s company identity.
Synthesize
Background research.
Competitor analysis.
Brand asset development.
User journey mapping.
Lo-Fi sketches and wireframes.
Client presentations.
Delivery
Prototype design.
Asset delivery, developer hand-off.
Core Beliefs
At Sherwood Fellows, we believe the best products, identities, and experiences are built on a deeply meaningful foundation: our clients core beliefs. We began our journey with Preform.io with a deep dive into their identity and values. For Preform.io, this meant not just starting work on their branding or product design but first embarking on a transformative exploration.
We conducted a two-day sprint with the founders of Preform.io, a journey to unpack the beliefs about art, technology, and the human spirit that led them to build their venture. This intensive sprint allowed us to leverage both qualitative and quantitative data to craft powerful audience personas and choreograph marketing, sales, and product experiences guided by these core beliefs. This experience prooved pivotal in helping the Preform.io team effectively communicate about their product and attract top performers.
The core of our collaborative journey was Preform.io's powerful manifesto, which guided our work and influenced the entire user journey we crafted.
Build Connection
Engage the Body
Create for Embodiment
Perform to Inspire
Transform and Transcend
Preform.io's manifesto acted as the North Star, guiding us throughout the branding and product design process. It shaped every decision we made, ensuring that the brand reflected Preform.io's values and created a transformative user experience. This holistic approach resulted in a brand and platform that truly resonates with both performers and their audiences, embodying Preform.io's vision of growth-oriented, emotionally accessible art that feeds the soul.
Brand Ideation and Archetype
After conducting thorough research and initial visual ideation, we identified Preform.io as a Magician brand (refer to our Brand Archetypes case study). Magician brands embrace bold whimsy, using imaginative copy to cast visions of what could be. They inspire collaboration, encouraging others to see the world differently, try new things, and break a few rules. Magician brands promise magical moments and a connection with the world's invisible forces.
In speaking to artists, Preform.io taps into the desire to transform unseen visions, dreams, and creative instincts into reality. Like a wise wizard guiding a young hero into the unknown, Preform.io tells performing arts creators, "You have something special within you, and I can see it. I want to make your vision possible."
We leveraged both creative and data-driven insights to conjure a brand that encapsulated the essence of the founder’s vision, merging inspiration and strategy to set the stage for an unconventional website redesign.
Our design journey took us from initial sketches to digital logo sketching, and then to visual style ideation. This evolution was a meticulous dance of strategy and creativity, ensuring every element served a purpose. Animation breathed life into our designs, offering a glimpse of the dynamic experiences preform aimed to create. These animations were not simply visual treats but rather strategic tools to engage users and amplify Preform.io's message.
Our journey into web design wasn't a mere translation of ideas from paper mockups to Figma; it was the art of translating strategy into pixels. We understood that Preform.io's audience had experienced the pitfalls of tech companies and empty promises. To build trust, we would need to convey at every juncture, "We're one of you."
In designing the website, we crafted a unique, surprising, unconventional, yet intuitively navigable flow. This strategic design thinking allowed us to break away from the norm while ensuring that users felt at home, fostering a genuine connection with Preform.io's “why.”
The bottom lineOur designs embodied Preform.io's mission and values, strategically guiding users to meaningful interactions. Our collaboration with the developer ensured our choices came to life, staying true to the brand. This journey showcased the synergy of creativity and purpose, delivering a transformative digital experience that aligns with Preform.io's mission.
33% Increase in User EngagementAfter the website redesign, Preform.io experienced a 33% boost in user engagement, with visitors spending more time exploring the site's content.
56% Growth in New CollaborationsThe revamped website facilitated a 56% growth in collaborations with artists, tech innovators, and partners, demonstrating its effectiveness in attracting new opportunities.
Expanded Global ReachWith a clarified mission, unique brand, and authentic website, Preform.io expanded its global reach, connecting with artists and enthusiasts from over 20 countries, furthering its mission to inspire embodiment and deepen shared humanity.