Proxies

Proxies, once tied to Acid League, now operates independently — available direct-to-consumer, through curated shops and restaurants across North American cities, and via a substantial wholesale program. Their Wine Club is exclusive to their own site, with early access to collaborations. In-person tastings across cities extend the brand further, connecting Proxies with some of the most interesting restaurants, sommeliers, and tastemakers around.

This was a deeply custom build — complex enough that it was featured on Commerce Cream. And a personal moment: at the end of the project, the team organized a call just to thank me and share what they'd appreciated most about working together. I practically cried.

Personality, Flexibility, Mobile First

The first thing the Proxies team told me was important to them: mobile first, and a site that captures the brand's eccentric personality — playful, confident, a little irreverent. That's exactly what we built. Colour, shapes, tabs, badges, sticky elements, and occasional side-scrolling keep people engaged as they move down the page, building understanding of the product and recognition of the brand. This mattered especially because shipping costs meant Proxies had to sell in packs — not a small impulse purchase, but a more considered decision to try something genuinely new.

The site was also built for flexibility. As a design-led brand, the team wanted to make substantial changes any time (sections, colours, image shapes) without needing to call me. So I built them options, and trained their staff to use them.

how to communicate a lot WELL

Because Proxies sells mostly packs, there was a lot to communicate about each product. We developed three core templates, each following a three-column structure that broke up information without overwhelming. The first column held everything needed to make a decision — with Add to Cart above the fold on mobile. The third tucked additional details into three tabs. Images anchored the centre. A sticky Add to Cart bar followed people down through additional sections: pairings, ingredient spotlights, Proxies vs. competitors, collaborators, UGC, reviews, FAQs, and related products. Deep burgundy was used as the signature purchasing colour throughout, giving the conversion path a consistent visual anchor.

wine club spotlight

The club page is its own world within the site — part landing page, part product page, part editorial feature. The purchase mechanic is always present, while the page itself unfolds like a story: what you get, what's in the box with individual bottle profiles, who made it, what past collaborators have said, how Proxies compares to the category, and finally social proof and reviews. It earns the subscription before it asks for it.

The celebrity and winemaker collaboration feature is treated editorially, which gives the Club a sense of ongoing narrative rather than a static product. Past collaborators are archived below, so the page builds credibility over time.

Education as a priority

Proxies is genuinely new to most people, which means the site had to do some education work without feeling like homework. The WTF Is Proxies page answers every reasonable question a curious-but-skeptical person might have: what it is, how it's made, what it tastes like, how to taste it. A "Not Sure What To Try?" quiz routes people to the right bottle. The Five Ss reframe the tasting ritual. An Ask a Somm section brings in credibility from some serious names. And food pairings close the loop — because Proxies was built to go with dinner, and the page makes that case right down to specific combos.

We hired Plot to take on a high-stakes store redesign for Proxies and it was even smoother than I could've hoped for. Amy brings the trifecta of being highly organized, super talented and easy to work with. Her design sensibility is bang on, and in my opinion brings the sophistication of much larger shops, without all the overhead. Highly recommended!

— SEAN HAZELL, FORMER CMO AT PROXIES

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