Rachel’s Basic Bites

Jan. 2012: In January I was approached by Rachel Manzoni, owner of local Rhode Island small business Rachel’s Basic Bites, to create a one-stop destination to display and sell her homemade products. Previously, the business’ only web presence was with a Facebook page, and my goal with this design and development project was to connect the Facebook page and website to create one unified marketing approach.

First and foremost, the goal of this site was to selling products. Rachel specializes in making homemade, organic granola products that are both healthy and practical. I wanted a design that played off of this idea and appeared both environmentally conscious and engaging. I stuck to a green and tan color scheme to help reinforce the organic nature of the products. This also kept the color scheme right in line with the existing business cards Rachel was already using.

A centerpiece for this project was the new RBB logo. Utilizing handwritten fonts to convey a more personal touch, a new logo was created in hopes that it would be a strong identifier for the brand. A “scoop full of oats” image was purchased from 123RF and slightly modified for use with the logo, while everything else remained unique. The homepage also utilized a vector purchased from 123rf, which was again slightly modified to convey a friendly, inviting initial view for the visitor.

I also customized the WordPress backend to utilize custom post types with regards to the menu items. This allowed for consistent formatting without the need for Rachel to learn any code or worry about creating display issues. The backend panel provided an easy to understand interface for which Rachel could expand her product offering effortlessly in the future. Dynamic Paypal buy now buttons were also included, which use prices as defined directly from the particular item post within WordPress. This eliminates the need to generate buy now buttons in Paypal itself whenever a new product is added, creating a seamless experience in which Rachel was thrilled about.

This was a complete design and development project — which included the design, a new logo, and WordPress coding. The site utilizes CCS3 effects for small touches which add big impact to the overall feel of the website. As a local small business who was in need of hosting, Rachel’s Basic Bites is also utilizing my Astereo Client Services to host and manage the site – ensuring constant uptime and up-to-date versions of WordPress.