Andrew Melville · Kelowna, BC

I took the scenic route to design.

I’m Andrew, the web designer and brand strategist behind Melville Creative Strategy. Before I ran a studio, I ran a winery. Both taught me to pay attention to what happens after someone walks through the door.

Book a Free Consult The scenic route

Andrew Melville in a grey sweater, smiling with his arms crossed — Andrew Melville · Melville Creative Strategy

A bit of backstory

Wine shops, wine clubs, then websites.

I was born on Halloween in Regina and studied English literature. That explains the storytelling. The taste for drama is probably Halloween’s fault.

I still read a web page a bit like a novel. I want to know where I am, whose voice I’m hearing and what makes me want to keep going. A wine label has a lot less room to do the same thing.

I pick up ideas away from a screen, too: the lettering on an old storefront, the rhythm of windows on a brick building, the way a good menu tells you what kind of place you’re in before you order.

01 · Vancouver

I learned to sell by telling stories.

I fell into the wine trade in the early 2000s. Somewhere between the tasting notes, the newsletters and getting wine onto an online shop, I got hooked on figuring out what made people pay attention and come back.
02 · The Okanagan

I got to see the whole operation.

I moved to the Okanagan in 2014 and became a winery GM and director of sales and marketing. Building a wine club taught me how closely the website, the tasting room and the people packing orders all depend on one another.
03 · Melville Creative Strategy

I made design my day job.

I studied graphic design and interactive media, then started bringing those skills together with everything I’d learned running a business. Today I build websites, online shops and brands for small businesses in Kelowna and beyond.

What that means for you

I think about what happens after launch.

A site has to work for the customer trying to buy something and the person who has to update it on a Tuesday afternoon. I design for both.

Find the sticking point.
I ask what’s getting in the way before we talk about what to rebuild. Sometimes a small fix gets you further than a new site.
Make the next step obvious.
People should know what you do and how to buy, book or get in touch. That’s where the design earns its keep.
Leave you in charge.
I build with your day-to-day work in mind, so you can change a price or put up a new product without calling me first.

Off the clock

A few things I take very seriously.

A proper cortado. The search for a better one has been known to shape a travel itinerary.
Panthers football. I remain committed. The Panthers and I are working through some things.
Feline oversight. Merle is in charge of interruptions. Blackberry is still the reason I’m tinkering with a blackberry hop water.

Blackberry was here