Crafting a Digital Home for Craft & Courage
Working with Craft & Courage was a fantastic opportunity to blend my passion for web design with my appreciation for craft beer. Based in Crystal Palace and Tooting, Craft & Courage is more than just a pub—it’s a destination for beer enthusiasts and gin lovers alike. With a wide range of draft and canned craft beers and their own gin line, they needed a website that could match their existing brand while handling a varied ecommerce offering.
Starting with Strong Branding
Unlike some of my other projects, Craft & Courage came prepared with a clear visual identity. Their logo, font, and color palette provided a solid foundation, giving me the freedom to focus on translating their physical store’s welcoming and adventurous energy into a digital format.
One initial hurdle, however, was the lack of professional photographs. While their branding was polished, a website of this scope needed high-quality images to make an impact. I took on the task of capturing some interim product shots and styled visuals for the shop. Alongside this, I recommended they hire a professional photographer to provide mood-rich hero images—an investment that paid off in elevating the final design.
Creating a Functional Web Store
Craft & Courage’s product range was significantly larger than those of other clients I’ve worked with, making this project a great opportunity to flex my skills in WooCommerce. The site required careful planning to ensure that customers could easily browse, search, and purchase from their extensive selection of beers and gins.
Using WordPress with Elementor, I focused on creating a clean and intuitive shopping experience, highlighting the bold, modern aesthetics of their branding while ensuring the site was fast and user-friendly.
Navigating Challenges Together
One of the more complex aspects of this project was guiding the Craft & Courage team through the web design process. With limited technical knowledge, they required clear, step-by-step support, particularly when it came to uploading products and managing their store. I provided thorough training and documentation to empower them to confidently maintain their site after launch.
Another challenge was the delay caused by sourcing photographs, which paused the design process midway. However, this time was well spent refining the site’s structure and functionality so that when the images arrived, we were ready to implement them seamlessly.
A Digital Extension of the Pub
The finished site, craftandcourage.co.uk, reflects the unique personality of their physical locations. The branding is thoroughly integrated into the design, giving visitors a sense of the pub’s character before they even step inside.
The success of this project led to further collaboration with Craft & Courage on their gin brand, Antenna. For me, this was a testament to the strength of the relationship we built during the web design process and the trust they placed in my work.
Reflections on the Process
Designing for Craft & Courage was a rewarding challenge, combining ecommerce functionality with bold, creative branding. It reinforced the importance of collaboration, patience, and adaptability—whether it’s guiding a client through technical details or waiting for the right visual assets to complete the picture.
