Sea Creatures
Food and Beverage
- Web Design
- Web Development
- UX/UI Design
- eCommerce
- Online Ordering
- Mapping
- Wine Club
- Craft CMS
Sea Creatures is the brainchild of Seattle chef and author Renee Erickson. Focused on Pacific Northwest interpretations of classic fare, this much-beloved restaurant group is comprised of 9 different restaurant concepts, an online store, a wine club, and regular events.
The Job
Design and build a sophisticated online system for one of Seattle’s premier restaurant groups
We partnered with Seattle artist Jeffry Mitchell to create custom illustrations for the website. Jeffry’s whimsical style creates a relaxed, handmade feel to the brand. He’s also a really nice guy.
The Challenge
Multiple restaurant concepts, an online store with custom gift card integration, a wine club, interactive map, online hiring, regular events, and more, all with a quirky-but-quality aesthetic.
Just like the Ethan Stowell Restaurants project, each satellite site has its own look and feel while drawing from the same codebase and master content database API. Meaning that no matter how many brand websites are created, developers and restaurant managers only need to modify code or update content in one place—the system takes care of the rest.
We utilized Figma design software to create a brand-wide library for the system, so fonts, icons, color values, logos, and more are all consistent in every digital expression. Organizing design files in this way allows for substantial savings when generating social media posts and other digital marketing assets.
Implementation
Transom partnered with Sea Creatures and local artists to create an interconnected, multi-site, multi-branded system incorporating multiple technologies in a user-friendly package that’s easy to navigate, update, and maintain.
Photos by Liz Phung & Transom for Sea Creatures
Codebase
We utilized our unified codebase technique to keep the multiple websites’ code under control. Without this technique, each website becomes its own unique object, exponentially increasing maintenance costs.
Mapping
We built a simple mapping experience to help people find their next favorite spot. This custom map allows the client to enrich the map experience by adding things like parking or other points of interest nearby.
Sea Creatures properties are beloved by both locals and tourists alike, so it was important that all sites were optimized for mobile devices and designed with ADA accessibility in mind.
Commerce
Sea Creatures has a physical store called The Whale Wins Larder, carrying food staples and dry goods, along with their main Sea Creatures store with books, apparel, totes, and gift cards. Did we mention they have a wine club as well? We built a custom Stripe integration to accommodate regular subscription payments.
