The Sustainable Restaurant Association

Food plays a fundamental role in sustaining life itself, but today there are fundamental questions over the sustainability of our global food economy. Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, how can we ensure the sector acts in a way that is both socially progressive and environmentally restorative? Thankfully, The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) is here to help.

Through its Food Made Good Standard, The SRA provides chefs and restaurateurs with the essential tools and guidance they need to serve food that ‘not only looks and tastes good, but does good, too’. When the Association set out on a renewed global mission in 2023, it turned to Yoyo to deliver a refreshed outward-facing digital presence that would satisfy its communications goals in a way that aligned with its ethical purpose and eco-conscious principles.

Much has changed since the Food Made Good Standard was launched by The SRA in 2010, and 2023 marked the beginning of an important new strategic direction for the association, with the standard now open to businesses anywhere in the world. This presented a prime opportunity to re-imagine the site’s design and user experience, enhancing its role as a global shop window for The SRA and its partners, improving information sharing and encouraging more businesses to sign up. Yoyo first set about clarifying all requirements within a discovery phase before establishing the structure and creative direction for a ground-up Umbraco site build.

As an established B Corp, sustainability runs deep at Yoyo. As such, we’ve developed a series of eco-conscious principles to guide more sustainable digital design. This project was the first where we truly brought those principles to bear as a guiding framework, encouraged by an enlightened client in the form of The SRA. The approach encompasses consideration of resource efficiency at every point, from colours, fonts and media to user journeys and development practices.

These principles resulted in pages that are up to 84% ‘cleaner’ than standard, contributing to an overall reduction in the site’s energy burden. No compromise was made on visual impact, however: a bold palette and clean, clear layouts allow for clear delivery of strong messaging. The design also added subtle depth and character through the use of textures, with paper-like content boxes providing a knowing nod to the hand-written orders pinned to the pass in every professional kitchen. Having successfully co-ordinated design and build, Yoyo consulted on SEO migration in the project’s final phase to protect the Association’s search authority and provide a platform for post-launch growth.