Ford’s Gin

Fords Gin, a London Dry gin born from the collaboration between Master Distiller Charles Maxwell and bartender Simon Ford, came to us for a digital transformation that would align with their recent rebrand. Known for its unique two-step distillation process and a blend of nine botanicals sourced from around the world, Fords Gin needed a website that could reflect both its heritage and its bold, maximalist personality. We worked closely with their team to lead strategy, copywriting, design, and development, ensuring every digital detail captured the spirit of their gin—balanced, flavorful, and versatile. The result is a vibrant digital home for fordsgin.com, where the brand’s passion and craftsmanship are brought to life, engaging both aficionados and newcomers alike in a thoughtful, accessible, and responsive experience.

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Ford's Gin logo
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing the cocktail recipe carousel
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing a slider carousel with decorative illustrations of a plane and martini

Main Challenge

Fords Gin needed a complete refresh of their website to match their recent rebrand. Their goal was to showcase their bold, maximalist style in a way that felt cohesive and compelling while also ensuring the experience was accessible, user-friendly, and responsive across all devices.

Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing the single product page
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing the interactive product locator map
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing a card layout explaining the process of making gin and featuring custom stamps
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing an overlapping two column design with a featured image of a bartender

Our Approach

We began by diving into Fords Gin’s brand attributes, focusing on their heritage and commitment to craftsmanship. This insight drove the entire strategy, ensuring that every element—from visuals to copy—told an authentic story. We were committed to making their maximalist aesthetic come to life online in a way that felt intentional, rather than overwhelming.

Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing the mobile age gate form
Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing the main landing page featuring an illustrated background inspired by maps and passports
Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing the call to action to use their Product Locator feature
Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing the product slider carousel
Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing the link to the interactive map, with a compass illustration
Responsive design for Ford's Gin, showing information on the history of gin and vintage ink stamps.

Product Locator Experience

We built a product locator feature that allows users to easily find Fords Gin in stores near them. This interactive tool enhances user experience by providing real-time information on where Fords Gin can be purchased locally, helping customers get their hands on their favorite gin effortlessly.

Desktop design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, including location drop-downs and a custom map with pins.
Desktop design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, including a listing of local suppliers.
Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, including location drop-downs and a custom map.
Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, including location drop-downs and a custom map with pins.
Desktop design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, including a listing of local suppliers.

ePremise Experience

To further streamline the purchasing process, we developed an ePremise experience that displays where Fords Gin products can be bought online. This feature integrates with various online retailers, providing users with convenient links to purchase their favorite Fords Gin products directly from the comfort of their homes.

Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's e-shopping experience, with stylized drop downs for your product, location, and options for online retailers.

Cocktail Recipes and Batching Guide

We created an extensive cocktail recipe area on the website, providing visitors with numerous ways to enjoy Fords Gin. This section includes a variety of classic and creative cocktail recipes, each paired with easy-to-follow instructions to encourage users to explore the versatility of Fords Gin at home. Additionally, we provided a batching guide for those looking to entertain larger groups, offering tips and recipes for creating cocktails in bulk. This feature empowers users to make Fords Gin a part of their gatherings, elevating their entertaining experience.

Desktop design showing Ford's Gin's cocktail recipe page, including an animated bottle that fills up as you add ingredients.
Desktop design showing Ford's Gin's cocktail recipe page, including an animated bottle that fills up as you add ingredients.
Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's cocktail recipe page, including an animated bottle that fills up as you add ingredients.
Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's cocktail recipe page, including an animated bottle that fills up as you add ingredients.
Responsive design showing Ford's Gin's cocktail recipe page, including an animated bottle that fills up as you add ingredients.

Age Gate Implementation

Given the nature of Fords Gin as an alcohol brand, ensuring compliance with age restrictions was crucial. We implemented an age gate that prompts users to verify their age before accessing the site, making sure the experience was in line with legal requirements while remaining smooth and user-friendly.

Unique Elements

One of the standout features we introduced was a focus on expressing Fords Gin’s maximalist style throughout the website experience. This included bold visuals, interactive storytelling elements, and a rich, layered design that brought the brand’s personality to the forefront without compromising on usability.

Ford's Gin featured image of gin and tonics on a glass bar cart.

Their go-getter attitudes, honesty, and eclectic backgrounds have been the most impressive. They have challenged us in respectful, but important ways, which ultimately is leading towards a best-in-class end result.

Clutch.io

Impact and Metrics

The new fordsgin.com not only reflected the brand’s reimagined visual identity but also delivered measurable results. The increase in organic traffic by 20.8% and a 32.7% rise in user engagement illustrate the effectiveness of our approach. These metrics, combined with positive client feedback, affirm that our work hit the mark.

Ford's Gin featured image of gin and tonics on a glass bar cart.

From our team’s perspective, Prolific Digital is a high-caliber partner that takes the time to understand our brand and develops impressive strategic solutions that bring us closer to our goals. We can’t say enough great things about their work, and we plan to engage their team again for future projects.

Clutch.io

Music to Mix To

We developed a campaign called “Music to Mix To,” which paired Fords Gin cocktails with curated Spotify playlists, creating a full sensory experience for users. This campaign not only highlighted the versatility of Fords Gin but also fostered a deeper emotional connection between the audience and the brand by combining taste and sound.

Let’s Make a Martini

The “Let’s Make a Martini” series educated audiences on crafting various martinis at home. By providing step-by-step guides and engaging visuals, we empowered Fords Gin’s audience to recreate bar-quality drinks, making the brand part of their everyday moments.

Collaborative Highlights

Throughout the project, our partnership with Fords Gin was characterized by a collaborative spirit. One of the key highlights was guiding the Fords Gin team through the extensive rebranding journey without making it feel overwhelming—breaking down the process into phases and celebrating each milestone together.

How to Enjoy a Martini

“How to Enjoy a Martini” was a campaign series aimed at showcasing the different ways to enjoy martinis, featuring ideal food pairings to enhance the experience. This series provided users with valuable insights into cocktail and food combinations, making Fords Gin the go-to choice for elevated dining and drinking occasions.

What’s in Your Gin?

“What’s in Your Gin?” was an educational series that explored how Fords Gin sources its botanicals and the intricate distillation process involved in crafting their gin. This campaign provided transparency and deepened consumer appreciation for the craftsmanship behind each bottle, enhancing brand authenticity.

Supporting Campaigns

To further support the brand’s presence, we created several campaigns, including a pop-up experience called “The Salty Pearl,” designed to promote their “Martinis and Oysters” events. This included a passport concept where attendees could collect stamps and rewards, enhancing user engagement in a fun and interactive way. We also crafted social campaign stories to support The Salty Pearl, along with tailored landing pages to drive event participation.

Ad for the Ford's Gin Martinis x Oysters social campaign, labelled
Ad for the Ford's Gin Martinis x Oysters social campaign, labelled
Ad for the Ford's Gin Martinis x Oysters social campaign, labelled
Ad for the Ford's Gin Martinis x Oysters social campaign
Ad for the Ford's Gin Salty Pearl popup event in London
Ad for a Ford's Gin coupon for £5 martinis at the Salty Pearl event

The Salty Pearl Pop-Up Experience

To further support the brand’s presence, we created a pop-up experience called “The Salty Pearl,” designed to promote their “Martinis and Oysters” events. This included a passport concept where attendees could collect stamps and rewards, enhancing user engagement in a fun and interactive way. We also crafted social campaign stories to support The Salty Pearl, along with tailored landing pages to drive event participation.

Design for Ford's Gin branded passport merchandise
Design for Ford's Gin branded passport merchandise
Design for Ford's Gin branded matchbook merchandise
Design for Ford's Gin branded cocktail napkins and tea saucer merchandise
Design for Ford's Gin branded etched martini glass merchandise
Design for Ford's Gin branded A-frame sidewalk signs

Carousel Ads

Landing Pages

Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing a two column section with featured imagery of an oyster and a call to action button to
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing the browse recipes section
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing a two column section with featured imagery of an oyster and a call to action button to
Desktop design for Ford's Gin, showing the Sign Up section calling visitors to subscribe

Mix Well Brand Awareness Campaign

To boost brand awareness, we created the “Mix Well” poster series, strategically placed in various locations to maximize visibility. These posters emphasized the versatility of Fords Gin and invited audiences to experiment with different mixes, reinforcing the brand’s message of balance and creativity.

Print ads for the Ford's Gin Mix Well campaign, showing gin cocktails in different glasses
Print ads for the Ford's Gin Mix Well campaign, featuring three women holding coupe glasses
Print ads for the Ford's Gin Mix Well campaign, featuring musicians with a guitar and a turntable

Reflecting Our Core Principles

Our work with Fords Gin exemplifies our core philosophy: blending creativity with functional excellence. We crafted a website that was not just visually striking but also technically robust, ensuring it could deliver on both aesthetics and performance seamlessly.

Ford's Gin featured image of gin and tonics on a glass bar cart.

Staying organized and meeting deadlines was critical for this project and their team has exceeded our expectations from a project management perspective.

Clutch.io

Hurdles Overcome

One significant challenge was creating a maximalist experience that was both thoughtful and accessible. We needed to ensure that the bold design didn’t overwhelm the user, especially on mobile devices, and that the site remained fully responsive. We also had to guide Fords Gin through the process to prevent the project from feeling overwhelming due to its scale. By breaking the project into manageable phases and providing clear milestones, we ensured the process remained smooth and collaborative.

Final Outcome

The final outcome was well-received by Fords Gin’s team, with numerous positive comments on how the website perfectly captured their brand essence. We have several quotes from our Clutch review that highlight their satisfaction. The impact of the new website was clear: we saw an increase in organic traffic by 20.8% and user engagement went up by 32.7%, signaling a successful refresh that resonated with both new and existing audiences.