Information design specialists Applied Information Group (AIG) have collaborated with the London offices of Pentagram in the design and production of a new website for Bertazzoni, Italian manufacturers of precision-engineered cooking ranges.
The site builds on the branding created by Pentagram when Bertazzoni launched on the American market in 2005. The brand platform is constructed around the strong heritage of the family company and its founding in the 19th century, and the fine engineering and food traditions of Emilia Romagna in Italy, where the company has its base.
The new website offers comprehensive and practical interactive information on all models in Bertazzoni's four different series of ranges, cook tops, hoods and accessories. Many interesting and unusual features include the "Cook Italian" blogs from the Bertazzoni family covering authentic recipes, tips of using cookers properly and Italian cultural experiences.
The site has a simple and elegant appearance which belies its complex and functional 'back-end'. The sophisticated aesthetic involves a colour palette of blacks and greys reflecting the style adopted by Pentagram for Bertazzoni catalogues and other marketing collateral.
The new website is built on a solid open-source framework, which gives it a powerful, flexible and future-proof base to build upon, and achieves an effective premium feel without the use of Flash.
"The websites of a great many luxury brands rely heavily on Flash and its animation tricks," explained Applied Information Group partner Malcolm Garrett. "This brings them into direct conflict with Steve Jobs, who is determined to exclude the technology from Apple mobile platforms. Indeed a great many sites for luxury brands simply don't display on iPad. The Bertazzoni site demonstrates that you don't need to compromise on the visual aesthetic when you require something that is also functionally powerful; here, form and function work in internet-friendly harmony."
Launched first for the North American market, AIG is working on the development of versions for European and Eurasian markets, with a common entry portal redirecting visitors to local sites with different language options. Easy switching from imperial to metric units is one of the site's many built-in functionalities.
The launch of the site in North America coincides with an advertising campaign created by Pentagram. This is based on the line: "Engineering inspired functionality delivered with Italian emotion" and features four ads with images of four different cookers by well-known illustrators.
The Pentagram team is led by partner John Rushworth, with associate Jane Pluer and writer David Gibbs. The AIG team is led by Malcolm Garrett, with Sergio Rio Chaves.