Celtic.com is the web's primiere destination for all things Irish and Scottish. The site combines an extensive array of original content and e-commerce applications as well as several custom-designer tools. The community is geographically diverse and intensely loyal. The design challenges were also formidable.

Challenge
This online community was designed as a gathering place for people with a backround or an interest in the heritage of Ireland and Scotland. The design needed to speak to an educated, upscale market that identified with the culture, and embraced it. It was important that the site use the traditional (and often overused) Celtic imagery in a sophisticated, respectful manner. The overall design and branding of the site needed to be flexible and contemporary, and allow for future expansion as the community matured.

Solution
The designs approached the issues from a number of angles. The first design presented a clean, modern look and feel and a layout that grouped items for greater impact. The color scheme was bright, and used green as an accent color. A large horizontal image served as the visual anchor for the page.

The second design presented a horizontal layout and a elegant modern look. The color scheme is more dramatic, with green and white and an orange-red as an accent. The navigation bar is complemented by graphical "call-outs" across the top of the page. Traditional Celtic designs are used as a subtle backround.

The last design makes the most use of the color green. The typeface used is script-like, and the graphics are all traditional images. The color scheme here makes use of earth-tones and jewel-like colors for a rich look. Background graphics again provide texture.