Brand Alignment for a Superstar
The branding superstar also known as Gene Simmons co-founded the music phenom KISS 42 years ago. KISS has sold over 100 million CDs and DVDs worldwide and continues to sell out stadiums around the world, breaking box office records set by Elvis and the Beatles, and boasting over 3,000 licensed / merchandise items.
The brand known as KISS is practically inseparable from the personal brand called Gene Simmons. This was an unique challenge for us as he wanted the site to be personal and focus on his business accolades outside of KISS.
While developing a new web site and refining an old one require different design approaches, the basic stages are quite similar.
The typical web site development stages include:
- Planning: Needs Assessment, Site Map
- Design: Mockups, Review, Code
- Development: Build, Develop, Create, Test
- Launch: Source files, Maintenance, Documentation
The first stage is the most critical: strategic planning.
Nothing Average About It
Gene Simmons is not your average celebrity. He is a talented musician and warm-hearted family man for sure. He is also a self-made multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and branding superstar with businesses worldwide. These global partnerships include Rock & Brews restaurant franchises, a sports team, and film studio in addition to KISS Concert Tours, tv/film appearances and public speaking engagements.
Refining and upgrading Simmons’ existing web site was a monumental task as it grew, like his businesses, over time. Having witnessed firsthand the meteorite growth of Simmons’ project assets from product shots to publicity images and video clips, we decided that reorganizing the site architecture and scaling it for future growth would build the best user experience.
We started by streamlining all graphics and optimizing them for a modern CMS. We condensed much of the copy and used visual assets to show rather than tell. The main navigation was restructured so that it was easier to find areas that interested his fans the most such as tour dates, media and shopping.
The old site was difficult to navigate and identifying the latest news was confusing. The redesign allows for better user engagement and communicates a cleaner branding position as well as a faster interface.
We had a blast helping Gene, along with his daughter Sophie, create a beautifully organized space that celebrates the man as well as the brand.
Please check it out at www.genesimmons.com and let us know what you think!
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