International Trade
Ten Thousand Villages is a source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and sculpture, textiles, serveware and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world’s largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. They have spent more than 60 years cultivating long-term buying relationships to establish the international trading company they have today.
In Summer 2011, Triple Strength was approached by Ten Thousand Villages to make a bid to design the company’s new ecommerce website. They were in search of a site that would energize the Ten Thousand Villages brand, replicate the store experience online, and share the stories of the artisans. The bid was open to a number of agencies, but it was Triple Strength, with its extensive portfolio of creative and cutting-edge web projects, that was selected to move forward with the site redesign.
The goal was to design a site that allows viewers to easily find and purchase the company’s exclusive items while still functioning as an informational site to learn about the creators and locations where the products are made. The stories of the artisans needed to be as equally weighted as the selling aspects of the site, because the Artisan Story is what separates a plate made in Uganda and sold at Ten Thousand Villages from one sold at Crate and Barrel. The site was designed to reflect the grassroots of the artisans featured; the rich, natural colors and textures are symbolic of the products they craft and sell.
Previous Site
The New Concepts
Three design variations were created to effectively portray the Ten Thousand Villages brand and allow nearly effortless usability.
Concept 1
The first concept uses warm, deep earth tones and natural textures to portray the cultures and heritage reflected in the craftspeople and their products. Torn paper edges along the navigation bar give the site a handmade quality, while unique effects keep the site on the leading edge of functionality. For example, the social media icons on the side of the content bar are designed to slide as you scroll down the page and remain visible at all times. This omnipresence puts customer interaction at the forefront, without being intrusive.
Concept 2
This second concept suggests a more commercially oriented approach. It is clean and light for easy navigation, allowing the products be the focal point. The color palate is muted, off-white and tan with small hints of color to direct attention to buttons and links. Primary ad space would be highlighted at the top, while the rest of the content is clearly defined into three spaces: selling space, secondary ads and blog information.
Concept 3
The final concept is a slight mix of Concepts 1 and 2, with extra care given to the ecommerce and store elements. It has a neutral color scheme and a segmented design. It works well for buying and selling, but is still reflective of the cultures through the green and tan color selections. The bright banners that call out each category make the site’s functionality clear and concise.
Review and Production
After the clients reviewed all three of the design concepts, it was clear they were drawn to the influential textures and rich colors of the first concept. The layout also worked with their idea of the hierarchy and utility for the site.
Triple Strength was selected only for the layout and design of the new site; production for page templates and content implementation began immediately. Ten Thousand Villages would be handling the development and Magento content management system (CMS) integration.
Magento is a leading ecommerce solution providing back-end CMS for a variety of national retailers including Bonobos, the NorthFace, and Ford. With the new CMS each page has its own function and unique display. Purchasing products is much easier with specified categories. Each artisan has a library of media integration, with which they can share their story. Finding these stories is also simplified with an integrated map of their native country and the countries served by Ten Thousand Villages.
Triple Strength appreciated the opportunity to work with such an amazing company, and hopes to work with them as they expand their branding in the future. The experience was more than enjoyable, and we are pleased with the final design. In the future, we hope to enter this design in various competitions. Now that the new TenThousandVillages.com is live, the growth of this long-established fair trade company is sure to increase.
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