Ishtiaq Steel Industry
Ishtiaq Steel Industry is one of the largest and oldest steel manufacturing companies in Pakistan, and the only manufacturer of heavy steel sections in the country. They have a long-standing reputation for premium quality products and environment-friendly manufacturing units. My objective was to use the company’s understated way of operating as the inspiration to create a simple, clean responsive website.
Introduction
There were some key requirements and guidelines that were set at the beginning of this project:
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The website should not only act as an online brochure, but also educate potential clients
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Help improve sales, brand awareness, and customer support
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Establish the company as an industry leader
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Keep the design minimal and understated, incorporating the company’s history and legacy
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Update the product list
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The website should feel modern and easy to navigate
Project Requirements
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Create an updated responsive website
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Simplify and optimise the sitemap for easier navigation
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Design a clean, minimal user interface
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Update and improve the web content
Tasks
URL:
I got in touch with the Sales team to find out the needs of the customers. One of the questions I asked was “what is the most common question they hear from first-time buyers?”, the answer to which was “they ask if we sell certain items, which we do” I consulted the Marketing department to see if they have a particular aesthetic, or if there’s any message they want to convey to their customers through their design. I audited websites of local and international steel manufacturers to establish industry trends and practices, and made a note of things I liked and things I was going to do differently
Research and Analysis
After analysing the responses from the Sales and Marketing teams and competitor websites, I created the sitemap
The next step was to create sketches of the website. Due to time constraints, the company had asked me to skip wireframing and only present the final mockups asap. Necessary changes would be made after viewing the mockups
Design
Sitemap: Before
Previously, the sitemap had a lot of duplicate content scattered all across the website, which made the navigation confusing.
The product list was incomplete, which would explain why a lot of first-time buyers would inquire about certain products that the company does sell but aren’t shown on the website.
My goal was to eliminate the duplication of content to eliminate confusion, and create a simplified sitemap that is intuitive and easy to navigate.
Keeping the project requirements in mind; to educate potential customers and improving customer support, I decided to provide thumbnails of the best-selling products and a feedback form on the main page.
Sitemap: After
I kept the same colour palette as the company’s logo and previous website, as this colour palette has come to be associated with the company.
The company brochures also belong to the same colour family, so this palette also ensures cohesion between the website and the brochures, therefore sending a consistent brand message.
Colours and Typography
These are the initial mockups of the new design for the website. After working with the development team, and depending on the time and economical constraints, some changes were made to the designs, whilst still keeping the overall aesthetic of the overall design and brand identity.
Mockups
Before
After
