sudety-cars.pl
Welcome, in a profoundly solemn and sentimental manner - I present to you the initiation of our case study series. I aim to provide insight into my approach to what I do.
Here, you will witness the unfolding of my creative process, encounter the challenges presented by clients, observe their resolutions, and witness the outcomes we achieve. The secondary motivation is simply the desire to create a keepsake for me and document my progress.
Beginnings are difficult…
SudetyCars is where it all started, this is my first project. SudetyCars is a local, family-owned business specializing in personal car rentals in the Lower Silesia region.
As for how Bartek - the company's owner - came across my services, I must admit, I'm unsure. Bartek needed to enhance his online presence, and an acquaintance of ours suggested my name. This was in 2019 - at that time, my experience was somewhat limited. I completed one e-commerce store for personal purposes and developed two one-page websites. The thought of creating content for the internet hadn't even crossed my mind at that point.
…and they are long in time.
That's why the collaboration with me was... well, it was challenging. The entire project spanned from July 2019 to September 2021. That's around 800 days, roughly 2 years and 2 months. In the meantime, I made several attempts at approaching this website. Yet, I somehow couldn't find my rhythm with its execution. Bartek didn't push either; he started to doubt and ended up implementing the site with another company. However, evidently, it didn't meet his expectations. Time passed, and I truly delved into the matter only after the pandemic in 2022.
Problems and challenges
Creating a website for a car rental company posed a significant challenge for me at that time, as the company had a few substantial issues that I identified right from the start.
Firstly, the company lacked local recognition, both in people's awareness and on the internet. There was a lack of visual consistency and a clear service offering and collaboration terms were missing, making customer conversations more difficult. Furthermore, the absence of foundational elements such as a reservation system and easy access to the company's contact information significantly impacted the low quantity of acquired leads.
However, I was sure that we would improve everything and achieve great results!
A ONE-MAN ARMY WITH NO EXPERIENCE
The concept of task delegation was foreign to me, and being naturally inquisitive and perfectionistic, I handled everything independently. I created graphics, both vector and raster, devised and edited content, organized photo sessions, learned sales techniques, web design (UX/UI), wrote code where page builders fell short, delved into SEO optimization, managed hosting and domains, handled social media, and more - everything was built from scratch, under my guidance, from A to Z.
Honestly, the website came together without much of a plan - it was pure freestyle. There was a lot of spontaneity and creativity involved.
And the fact that I knew nothing? It was just a detail. I taught myself everything. Hours upon hours spent reading articles, watching YouTube videos, and taking courses.
TREACHEROUS INSPIRATIONS
I had this fixation when it came to websites; I soaked up inspiration from Dribbble, Instagram, and decided I wanted the same. I aimed to become the best web designer and lift the burden of outdated '90s websites from Poland.
This translated into ambitious effects that I wanted to achieve, but I struggled to bring them to life. Parallax, locomotive scroll, various animations, moving backgrounds, appearing and disappearing elements, freezing elements - all of these things fascinated me.
Honestly, social media can really mess with your head. It's not just about how we perceive ourselves and our lives, after spending a while scrolling through images of seemingly perfect people. It's also about work and creativity. Seriously, it's easy to develop insecurities or skewed perspectives. Thankfully, I quickly realized that most of these projects were senseless, impractical fluff that only looked nice.
STEPPING INTO THE CLIENT'S SHOES
In search of inspiration, I grounded myself and browsed through competitor websites - both direct and indirect, local, national, and international. I realized that, for the project's success, it's essential to step into the shoes of the customer, not just the owner. This is fundamental; now I understand that both my ego and the owner's ego come second - the website is meant for the user.
In this way, I became the customer seeking to rent a personal car for an extended weekend in the Sudetes. I examined dozens of websites from Poland and abroad. I immersed myself in this industry and swiftly noticed that most rental services lacked personality. They were large corporations, with search bars, extensive blocks of text, car images against a white backdrop, and smiling customers from stock photos.
A monotonous affair, it felt like I was scrolling through an otomoto.pl. Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, those sleek, space-age, futuristic web pages with heaps of likes under their posts danced around. Ahh, dopamine is surging. On one side, there were these mega-animations and micro-interactions, and on the other, a static grid reminiscent of HTML tables that web developers use to organize data into rows and columns.
Oh, what to do here? If it's like this, then it probably works. Seemingly professional, but should I copy-paste Bartek's cars in Photoshop? Dress him in a suit and write grandiose, commendatory texts?
Seems fine, but on the other hand, I know that for a big "professional" rental company, I'm just a number on an invoice and a source of capital. I started reading reviews, especially the negative ones. I wanted to see what issues people commonly face with such corporations and understand the concerns of the target audience.
That's when it hit me. Let's flip the script.
We turn the seemingly biggest flaw - Bartek's small-scale business - into an advantage 🔥
Bartek's personality and his local touch became the guiding theme for the entire brand strategy. We discussed everything, and I already knew the direction it should take.
It seems to me that this approach strongly opposes what I observe - most companies online portray themselves as someone they are not. They present their businesses as much larger than they actually are to inspire trust. I know, fake it till you make it, but be careful what you wish for. Sometimes, it's too late to change.
That's why we chose authenticity, relationships, approachability, and a homey atmosphere. Bartek is a young guy I became friends with, and I saw his approach to business. Using his company's services feels like borrowing a car from a buddy. I thought, WOW! This is it! It's something different, and it resonates with me.
WORKFLOW
I kept learning new things all the time, which consumed a significant portion of my time. Everything I did was rather chaotic and scattered. Simultaneously, I was working on several aspects of this project - managing social media, and creating the website. However, I knew that my first priority was to design a visual key that would serve as the foundation for crafting subsequent creations.
Initially, I intended to build Sudety Cars' visual brand identity from scratch. I began by designing a logo, but Bartek and I quickly agreed that the current logo should remain. It's brilliant in its simplicity and captures the essence of the brand. Additionally, there's that wonderful shade of green that became the starting point for the rest of the color palette.
HOMEPAGE DESIGN
I won't go into extensive detail about the process of creating the website; as you might guess, over these 2 years, a TV series could have been produced from this endeavor. So, I'll jump straight to the final result.
This website is a work of compromises…
Compromises between the ideal design, my skills, and functionality.
First and foremost, I crafted the hero section. There were a few proposals, but ultimately, we settled on the one that stood out the most against the competition. After all, they say that first impressions matter immensely. And the hero section is what visitors see first before they even start scrolling further down the page.
In today's fast-paced world, where we all have ADHD and constant distractions pull our attention away, the hero section must load quickly, be concise, and attract like a magnet, ensuring that no one leaves the page before engaging with its content.
I had to ensure a concise yet informative message that clearly showcases the website's content. I opted for a parallax effect. I reworked car images and added a mountain landscape that fit perfectly. Subtly, mist moves in the background. Additionally, I overlaid a prominent "Sudety Cars" text - car rental and cities. At the top, a standard menu and a standout green CTA - "Book Now."
Next, I present the three main car rental services and a banner encouraging contact. At this point, the user knows practically everything. But I have a few surprises left for him!
The entire homepage is built on the 5W formula, consisting of five key questions to help design an effective and intuitive website:
1) What? - the core activity and its resulting benefits,
2) Who? - information about you and your team,
3) When? - the process of collaboration and customer service,
4) Why? - the reasons behind this type of business and its values,
5) Where? - places to purchase products/services and contacts.
In the next section, I break the monotony and change the style. Scrolling is no longer vertical but horizontal. In other words, we're not scrolling down; we're scrolling sideways. The page builder couldn't handle it, so I wrote CSS - Javascript code. It was crucial for me to evoke a sense of surprise. And I think I succeeded! In this section, I outline the benefits for customers and the advantages Sudety Cars offers compared to the competition.
Following this is a section showcasing recommended cars, which slide into view from the sides of the page. Each car functions as a button, with an interaction that lights up upon hovering over the vehicle.
As you can see, I wanted the flow of the page to be unique, with the only recurring element being user surprise. I presented the reservation process from a bird's-eye view on three semi-transparent blocks, with moving clouds and a winding forest road visible underneath.
Below, we have more subdued sections, but still fully functional. Here, you can check the cities where the rental service operates, like our social media, and read customer reviews.
FUNCTIONALITY AND USABILITY
Homepage Design Subsequent subpages are more functional and contain a greater amount of information. The content architecture of the entire site, as well as the content of individual subpages, also evolved over time. I wrote all the texts from scratch. In the end, the website comprises 10 subpages.
I ensured the responsiveness of the website - the mobile version's interface is clear and minimalist. This makes the site intuitive and easy to navigate on any device.
The "About Us" section introduces Sudety Cars and Bartek. The offering includes an overview and detailed description of the services as well as the target audience. In the "Cars" section, you'll find a list of vehicles, leading to a dedicated subpage where each one is thoroughly described. The "Contact" tab contains the company's details and a simple contact form. We emphasized accessibility and direct, easy communication. We've presented various options to get in touch with the company - phone, email, in-person, Messenger, a form or booking.
SAYING GOODBYE TO BORING LONG FORMS
A pivotal feature on the Sudety Cars website is the reservation system, accessible through all the CTAs. This is a specially designed tool that allows users to easily and intuitively book a car, tailoring it to their individual needs.
To enhance conversion rates, I opted to step away from traditional lengthy forms and create a dynamic card-based form.
This enables customers to swiftly rent a car. Each reservation stage is broken down into smaller questions, and the casual and straightforward communication style gives users the impression of conversing directly with the owner.
The introduced system proved to be not only effective but also significantly increased the owner's efficiency. The form greatly relieved Bartek, becoming a kind of additional employee for him. It automated the process, reducing manual work, and introduced the company's first formalized process, greater consistency, and improved data handling.
Moreover, the new system empowered Bartek to better manage car availability and schedules, leading to optimal fleet utilization and avoiding potential reservation conflicts.
PHOTOGRAPHY
There's no denying the crucial role that photos play on the internet. Well-captured images have the power to capture the attention of potential customers, convey essential information about the offering, and underscore the company's professionalism.
With the above in mind, and considering Bartek's limited budget, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Although I'm not a professional photographer, I believed it was worth a shot. I borrowed a DSLR camera and organized two photoshoots, one in Dolina Kłodzka and the other in Wrocław.
For inspiration, I browsed through stock photos, but they were quite... well, mundane. We crafted a photoshoot that focused not only on the cars but also on the locations, people, and emotions. I was particularly keen on achieving a blurred background effect and capturing dynamic shots of the cars in motion. Even though I wasn't entirely sure how to properly set up the camera to achieve this effect, I decided to edit the photos using Photoshop.
BRAND DISTRIBUTION
To wrap up, I addressed the issue of limited online presence. I decided to take care of optimizing the website for search engines and creating a Google business listing. As a result, over time, the website ranked higher in search results and became more accessible to potential customers, contributing to its increased effectiveness.
Furthermore, I also focused on promoting the website through various marketing channels, such as social media and search engine advertising. This allowed us to reach a wider audience and attract the attention of new customers.
Sudety Cars was gaining popularity in the local market. Bartek's growing business not only expanded its fleet with new cars but also increased its team of employees.
The most satisfying achievement was when, during holidays or long weekends, all the cars were rented out. Additionally, long-term rentals became a significant cornerstone of the company's operations, allowing customers to enjoy excellent vehicles for an extended period.
All of this combined created a complete picture of Sudety Cars' success, which not only gained popularity but consistently delivered value and satisfaction to its customers.
As Sudety Cars, we have been cooperating together for several years. Great strategic, goal-oriented approach, good understanding of our industry and great commitment and creativity. Website, social media management and online/offline marketing.
I definitely recommend a wide, comprehensive range of services in one place.
Commitment and willingness to take care of the project is a calling card!
Bartek FINOKIET
Owner Sudety Cars