Navigating the Sea of Success: PPL Group’s New Website

PPL came to us with the exciting challenge of creating an identity that could represent the PPL Group as a whole including the wide variety of services they offer. The goal of the new PPL website was to highlight PPL Group’s exceptional bespoke services, catering to a diverse range of industries such as sports, retail, events, entertainment, public sector, and transportation whilst creating a seamless user experience, making a previously complicated digital presence easy to navigate.

Upon our initial meeting with the PPL Group team, we knew this was going to be an exciting project to dive into… and boy were we right!

Based in Liverpool, PPL is a long-established provider of bespoke solutions for major blue-chip clients across all aspects of brand elevation. They do everything from designing and printing to installation and event management. PPL has worked with all kinds of clients, from local businesses to international leaders.

In fact, they’ve been creating programmes for the Wimbledon Championships for the last 75 years! And they’ve even worked on the signage for The Golf Open. They’re truly experts in their field and can handle any project you throw their way.

The design team, headed by our Junior Graphic Designer, Georgia, and supported by our Head of Digital, Joe, collaborated to create a cohesive brand identity, while Jayme spearheaded the development phase.

“It’s definitely been a stand-out project for me, from the initial brand workshop to the website go-live. Each challenge has evolved the design resulting in a final solution that encompasses all facets of PPL whilst still feeling cohesive and true to them. Seeing the site now live is the cherry on top.” – Georgia Dean, Junior Graphic Designer.

The Process

Dive in to learn more about this project’s progression, obstacles, and ultimate success 💦

1. Brand Workshop and Rebranding

The project began with a brand workshop to understand PPL’s needs and identify the parameters of the rebranding. We produced two design options, with each offering a unique look and feel, aligning with the parameters of the brief. Working closely with the PPL team, we refined the brand identity and developed a comprehensive set of assets, including logos, typography, colour palette, patterns, and iconography.

2. The Challenge

A key challenge of the initial brief was creating an identity that could represent PPL as a whole and also the breakout of various sectors they work within. Our proposed brand identity solution involved designing a stand-alone logo using a bespoke typeface for PPL which could stand proudly alongside the high caliber of clients they work with. It also retained a level of flexibility so we could create three extensions of the logo which represented the three main sectors of the company.

These extensions were integrated into the website design, ensuring a cohesive representation of the brand’s personality in the digital realm. The goal was to effectively portray the brand personality in the digital space. We did this by including image treatment, button styling, colour balance, and effective CTAs taking the offline brand and transitioning that into the online presence.

3. Website Design and User Experience (UX & UI)

The Research Stage

User experience (UX) is of paramount importance in website design as it directly influences how visitors perceive and interact with a website.

A positive UX ensures that users can easily navigate, find information, and complete tasks seamlessly, leading to increased satisfaction and engagement. A well-designed user interface, intuitive navigation, and responsive layout contribute to a smooth and enjoyable user journey, enhancing the chances of converting visitors into customers or clients.

A positive UX also encourages repeat visits and word-of-mouth referrals, strengthening the website’s reputation and credibility. By prioritising user experience in website design, businesses can establish a competitive advantage, foster brand loyalty, and ultimately achieve their digital goals.

With the initial research stages complete and the brand assets ready to go, the website design was finally underway!

Informed by the site map and user flows, the team created wireframes as the foundation for the website design. These shaped the wireframes which create the foundations of the website design before colour, pattern, and imagery are added. These help to quickly prototype determining a guide for the layout and function of the site across all the required pages.

The Solution

One of the main challenges with the PPL website project was creating a site that would clearly showcase the extensive range of services, sectors and clients that PPL covered without overwhelming the user. This meant that simple, clear navigation was crucial allowing the user to get to their destination with ease.

Once the desktop design is completed it is then transitioned onto a mobile format to account for the responsive abilities of the live site. The mobile experience is just as important if not more important than the desktop one depending on the client and shouldn’t be considered an afterthought. Many users are now mobile first at least for an initial view of a site and first impressions count. It’s essential that users still have a seamless experience here (or on any other device for that matter) as on desktop.

4. Mobile Responsiveness

Recognising the importance of mobile user experience, we ensured that the website design transitioned seamlessly onto mobile formats. Nowadays, many users access websites via mobile devices first, it’s therefore vital we aim to provide a user-friendly experience across all devices.

5. Development and Time Management

Once the website design was confirmed with the clients, Jayme, the lead developer on this project, took charge of the development phase. With PPL’s involvement in high-profile sporting events over the summer, including Wimbledon and The Open Golf in St. Andrews, the team in the Tank aimed to expedite the website’s launch in time for key sporting dates. Working alongside freelancer Jane Barron, we managed our time efficiently, working internally to meet the promised go-live date.

“It has been a dream to develop this website for PPL. Andy and Jane have been very proactive in preparing and adding content to the site which allowed us to dive into the build of the site straight away! We used our new “block” system in WordPress to speed up development and with each member of the PPL project team getting stuck in, inputting content into the CMS and making sure the site was pixel-perfect before launch, the development process of the new PPL website was incredibly fast.” – Jayme, Mid Full Stack Web Developer.

6. Testing and Review

Before the website went live, it underwent an extensive review process. At Fishtank we take pride in the quality of our websites – that’s why we go through the site to check it’s pixel-perfect to the initial design.

The team ensured the development link resembled a live site to refine transitions, functionality, and the overall user experience. Final tweaks were made based on feedback from all parties involved. It takes a village to get a website to go live; from working with freelance content writer Jane Barron to getting content approval from Andy Ward from PPL.

7. Digital Solutions

Our Digital team worked hard helping PPL Group pull together all website content, optimising it for key search words and phrases crucial for the success of their new SEO strategy. Writing meta descriptions, page titles, and tags, we optimised website content and future-proofed the site for new content to be search engine optimised.

The launch of the new PPL website by demonstrated the successful collaboration of designers and developers in creating a cohesive brand identity and a user-friendly online platform.

The website effectively showcased PPL Group’s extensive range of services and sectors without overwhelming visitors. Through meticulous planning and effective execution, we were proud to deliver a visually appealing and functional website, meeting the needs and expectations of both the client and its end-users.

The PPL website now serves as a strong online presence, accurately representing the company’s expertise and quality custom services to its target audience.

Visit the new PPL website 👩‍💻