Dacha - 2021 Half-Year Review

Redesigning a website is a careful balancing act. A designer has to work out what a brand is really asking for and how that should translate into an online presence, then build something that serves both the business and the people visiting it.

One recurring challenge is the brand that arrives with a dark, arch-shaped logo and a natural appetite for a darker visual treatment. Dacha, a local company, was one such case: it wanted a stronger online presence and a fully reworked site. The brief was met with a dark colour scheme and bold graphic elements, and the results of the first half-year are set out below.

What was delivered

The new Dacha site presents the company as established and trustworthy. A vibrant orange runs through selected sections, set against dark shades of grey to hold the visitor’s attention. A curved SVG divider separates the footer, giving it a clean, crisp edge.

Spacing was a central concern. The layout was built to breathe, and the on-page copy was rewritten to read more professionally while still making the company’s services clear. Current and prospective clients can now find information about the business and its sector-specific services without effort — arguably the single most important outcome of any redesign, and especially so when services are the thing being showcased.

When a dark theme makes sense

In a digital landscape this crowded, designers have to think about who typically lands on a site and how to meet their preferences. That assessment shapes how a brand’s site is tailored to its audience’s social profile and age group.

A darker background tends to suit certain situations:

• The brand’s own colour palette is dark, so the website follows suit
• The brand favours a more minimalistic look
• The subject matter of the site invites darker tones
• The aim is to reduce eye strain on analytics pages that users may study for hours
• Colour psychology is being used to carry a message
• The design calls for a dramatic feel
• The design calls for a sense of luxury

The most visible changes

For Dacha, the new site is a platform for building a strong brand presence online. Many elements changed, but the most noticeable are the custom-made animations in the homepage header and throughout the site, alongside custom hover animations that reveal full-screen images when each individual section is hovered over. Both features are designed to draw users in and encourage interaction, with the hope that this translates into stronger leads and more business.

Vibrant, bold website design is a specialism, and Dacha’s half-year results show what that approach can do for a brand that knows its own identity.