BASIC®PartnerswithPatagoniatoRedefineItseCommerceExperience

●

Through co-creation, we designed and developed a best-in-class digital experience with Patagonia, the world’s foremost outfitter of outdoor gear and apparel. For two years, we challenged ourselves to create something that not only revolutionized the way brands tell stories but also the way business is conducted.

The modern brand faces a constant friction between corporate ambition and cultural impact. It’s not just human needs but also KPIs, profit margins, and the bottom line that dictate a company’s trajectory. Sacrifices must be made at the expense of its conviction.

Patagonia is the rare exception—a brand that truly lives out its values. One that, in its own words, is “in business to save our home planet.” Such an influential name deserved a website that was just as special. What started out as an exercise in building a digital storefront and style guide quickly became a long-term, co-located partnership that culminated in the launch of The Footprint Chronicles, Patagonia’s online hub for sustainable supply-chain practices and resources.

“The Patagonia team approached us with the desire to create something unforgettable—a unique retail experience that put the brand front and center while quite literally transforming the nature of business as we know it,” said BASIC® Group Creative Director Andrew Yanoscik. “In collaborating with such a legendary brand to not only reimagine its digital presence but also advance its mission, we wanted to make sure that we did the work justice and with the utmost respect.”

This balance between product and purpose laid the foundation for our entire engagement. To help the brand tell more compelling stories, we leaned into focus, clarity, and simplicity as our guiding UX principles. We set out to strip away the excess and reconcile both emotional feeling and rational understanding in one centralized digital experience.

Along the way, we kept several considerations top of mind:

• Navigation and the Customer Journey: To reduce cognitive overload, we organized the content in a compelling way—merging sales with storytelling. We created a more streamlined navigation paradigm that spans the entire customer journey, from consideration to conversion. Beyond just a destination for products, Patagonia.com is a vast network of cultural initiatives that complement and humanize its offerings; including Patagonia Action Works, Worn Wear, The Footprint Chronicles, The Cleanest Line, Patagonia Provisions, and so many others.
• Product Filtration: Given the complexity of the product catalog and the simplicity of the design, our experience called for a powerful filtration tool. But as we built this out, we still wanted to maintain the integrity and original vision of our design. The end result is a global utility that serves as a floating, contextually aware action button. So, depending on where the user is on the site, the button is the most prominent prompt and call-to-action on that page. Between helping users browse the catalog and peruse PDPs, this singular UX pattern is designed for approachability and progression—not only in design but in user adoption across the board.
• Product Education & Wayfinding: Personalization and relevance were key for us. Ultimately, we wanted to guide users to the best products for their needs. Similar to the contextual filter, we created an in-line Q&A and comparison overlay to help users find the right gear and learn about each product along the way. These simple prompts enable users to move from page to page more seamlessly, routing them through the sales funnel in one convenient UX flow.
• Footprint Integration: As we built out the Footprint experience, we wanted to tell this deeper story of sustainability on more than just one section of the site. To fully capture the hearts and minds of Patagonia shoppers, we developed a card system that routes users to key details about an individual product’s footprint. This system provides both brand as well as product education to strengthen affinity, deepen desire, and drive conversion.

For us at BASIC®, this work wasn’t just another eCommerce redesign—it was the opportunity to do something meaningful with our talents. Empathy, intention, and perspective are values that are core to our business. As such, it was an honor to help bring the Patagonia mission to life with the new .com.

Visit the website