Beauty and Brains
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Soul led Design
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Beauty and Brains ✦ Soul led Design ✦
The Climbing Company
The Climbing Company had two businesses (and legacies to match) together as one merged business and a services list so comprehensive that it was doing the opposite of its job. Visitors to the site were confused and unsure what service was right for them, bounce rates were high, and conversions relied on back-and-forth emails.
The work started with a visual identity refresh before we rebuilt the entire web architecture around their audiences, not their offer list. The key shift was from "here are all our services" to "is this you? Here's your adventure." This new approach met visitors where they’re at, and recommended adventures or skills courses based on self-selected skill level. A dual mirrored structure gave outdoor rock climbing and alpine adventures equal, distinct space on the site, and the refined brand carried through across digital and print, so every touchpoint told the same story.
The Climbing Company is now positioned as Victoria's premier outdoor adventure company, and the site does the selling. Visitors book directly. Skills courses fill in advance. And their newly launched skills course program “Couch to Crag” sold out within two weeks, with a waitlist already formed for the next cohort.
SCOPE
Creative Direction
Visual Identity Refresh
Brand Strategy
Web Architecture
Marketing Direction
TEAM
Claire Martin
Aaron Lowndes
YEAR
2024-26
kind words
"One-off contractors produce one-off results. Claire has become part of how we operate."
I first engaged Claire in 2024 for what I thought was a one-off project. The result was good enough that I wanted to keep working with her, and I've been on a retainer arrangement ever since. That's probably the most honest endorsement I can give: the work spoke for itself before I ever had a reason to commit long-term.
What I didn't expect when I hired a graphic designer was how much she'd end up functioning as a creative director and marketing strategist. Claire brings ideas to the table unprompted, challenges the brief when necessary, and manages the creative workload without my oversight.
The clearest example is our Couch to Crag program. The idea of a beginner-to-climber progression program had floated around for years - it's the kind of thing that lots of people in a business talk about but nobody actually does anything about - the hard bit is actually bringing it from a casual "we should do this thing" conversation to something actually ready to go. Claire did something about it. She came to me with a clear vision, said she wanted to make it happen, and went away and built it: the program identity, the welcome pack, the participant materials, the communications, all of it. My contribution was saying yes. That program is now running with real participants, and it exists in the form it does entirely because Claire decided to stop treating it as a vague idea and turn it into something tangible.
One-off contractors produce one-off results. Claire has become part of how we operate.
AARON L | CO-OWNER
THE CLIMBING COMPANY