The objective of this lesson task was to create a website brief for a fictitious new restaurant. I chose the client Nataka Kula (Cuisine from East Africa). First, we should make a list of at least 15 questions that would be sent to the client, and also answer these questions.
Where is your restaurant located?
In the centre of Oslo.
What kind of visitors are you expecting on your website?
Mainly people who are interested in exotic food, both men and women, in the age range of 20-40. These people also travel a lot. They have an average income.
Who are your competitors and how do you differ from them?
Our competitors will be other restaurants that offers exotic food in Oslo. We differ from them by being one out of few who focuses specifically on East African dishes and traditions, which also will show through the use of imagery and design of the website.
What is your deadline for completing the site?
The deadline will be within three months from the start-up.
How big is the budget?
The budget is 50.000 NOK.
What actions do you want visitors to take on the site?
We want the visitors to learn about our restaurant, our menu and where to find us. We also want to teach about the culture and history behind the food we serve.
What features should be used on your website?
We want pictures of our products, our restaurant and our staff. We want to provide an easy way to show our customers where they can find us, and how they can contact us.
List the names of three websites you like and explain what you like about them.
We like the website of “Lorry”, a well-known Oslo-based restaurant (lorry.no). This website’s home page instantly showcases the restaurant and their food in a simple way, and uses a layout that we like in terms of navigation and menus. The same goes for the websites of other restaurants such as “Olivia” (oliviarestauranter.no) and “Jensens Bøfhus” (jensens.com).
Do you have a brand manual or brand guidelines?
We do have a logo, but no brand manual. We do have a concept for the restaurant, which includes colors and other elements, and will act as the base when a brand guideline is created in the near future.
Do you have any social media platforms linked to your company?
We use Facebook and Instagram.
Do you have any colour preferences? What should the look and feel for the website be?
We want to highlight our East African roots as much as possible through our website and design, just as with the overall concept of our restaurant. This will be through color, imagery and other visual elements.
Do you base your concept on the traditions of a specific country?
Our concept is based on the traditions of several East African countries, and not a specific one.
What do you NOT want on your site in terms of text, content, and graphic elements?
We want a focus on imagery, and do not want long bolks of text where it isn’t crucial. Also avoid any design elements that are not related to the East African concept of the restaurant.
Who will be the contact person for this project?
The contact person will be me, (…), for everything regarding the website.
Who will be responsible for maintaining the website?
We will maintain the website ourselves. Since we don’t have too much experience on this, we would very much like some training, and we would like to have some regular meetings with you now and then.
Who will provide the images that will be used on the website?
We do have a photographer who will take photos of the restaurant and the staff. These will be sent to you. Other images that is needed can be bought from Stock-sites.
WEBSITE BRIEF
Company profile: Oslo-based restaurant serving East African-inspired food. Do have logo, but no brand guide or color profile yet.
Target customers: Men and women, age range of 20-40. Travel a lot and are interested in exotic food. They have an average income.
Competitors: Other restaurants offering exotic food.
Goal: Generate interests around the restaurant. Website with food menu, information about restaurant, location and contact info. Focus on East African traditions and culture through images, design and colors. Link to social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram.
Budget and deadline: Three months, max. 50.000 NOK.
Roles and responsibilities: Client provides images and photos, logo and color profile. Will maintain website themselves, but will need training and want regular meetings.