Demel’s: An Austrian Bakery in the Heart of Vienna
From Austria
Designerly loves to feature small and single-location businesses when we notice exemplary design or features our readers can learn from. This month, we took a look at various bakeries around the world. We looked at a dozen different countries and finally settled on CH. Demel’s Sohne in Austria. When we talk about being in love with a web design, this is the perfect example of finding your design soul mate.
Industry experts predict bakeries will hit an $18.3 billion revenue margin in 2025. Many of our readers own and run bakeries. However, in the beginning of opening a pastry shop, the profits can be tight. Many bakers start in their homes under local cottage food laws and eventually expand into a storefront. Because of this, finding a stellar website design is complex. We wanted to factor in the challenges bakery owners face and be fair in our selection process.
We wound up looking at our favorite design trends, such as including a video, easy navigation and if the personality of the small business shined through. As always, we kept narrowing our options down and eventually determined Demel was the best bakery website out of those we considered.
Winner: CH. Demel’s Sohne
The name of the bakery is CH. Demel’s Sohne. Located in Vienna, Austria, it is affectionately referred to as Demel’s or Demel Bakery by locals. Ludwig Dehne founded the bakery in 1786 with ties to the Royal Court. They also were the supplier for sweets to the nearby Hofburgtheater.
By 1857, one of the heirs of the bakery handed the reins over to his assistant Christoph Demel. Within a decade, Christoph’s sons took over the confectionery and renamed it CH. Demel’s Sons. Today, The bakery is famous for its Kaiserschmarrn, which is a chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle and a dark chocolate glaze icing.
The pastry shop is known for elaborate window displays that pull you into the store’s history. Demel’s offers cakes and baked goods but also has a small cafe where patrons can sit and enjoy Viennese coffee. A few of the offerings on their menu include apricot dumplings, beef soup, eggs, pastries, fried chicken and beverages like coffee, sodas, juices and tonics.
Why We Chose Demel’s Bakery as Our Winner
The hero video at the top of the homepage is what initially grabbed our attention and made Demel’s a top contender for the monthly Designerly award for excellence in website design. However, as we went through each key element we considered, we found much more to love about this site’s design. A site you can learn from delivers in many areas. Demel’s did this.
Color Palette
Gold is often a color associated with elegance and luxury. The site uses a soft gold for the background and then gold elements in the logo and lettering to add a sense of tradition and royalty to the design.
Note how the color appears in the logo, accent marks and even the favicon to tie everything together. Finding consistency in your designs is crucial.
Navigation
When choosing winners for our award, we often consider the navigation. Although it might seem a simple feature, it is the top way site visitors interact with a site. CH. Demel’s Sons embraces a minimalistic menu so there are only a few options.
You might typically see the nav bar on the left side or across the top of a site. Demel’s does something a bit unique by adding it under a larger logo and then putting it vertically in the center of the page. However, it still pops for the user because lines point toward the menu on either side. Be brave about moving your navigation around but keep it close to the top for familiarity.
Parallax Scrolling
While we are seeing less parallax scrolling in the last year or so as we browse the internet, there is still a place for this feature. Demel’s Bakery’s website does it well by adding images and headings as the user moves down the page. It creates a live look that makes the user feel there is always something new to see around every corner.
Animation
Adding a video to the hero image brings the bakery to life for those who’ve never been. A well-done video adds movement and causes users to linger on the page longer, which can increase conversions and brand awareness.
Since Demel is known for their Kaiserschmarrn, an image of them making a luxurious chocolate glaze ties in perfectly to the business model. Consider what is special about your brand and add a video highlighting it.
About Page
An excellent story can draw users to visit your establishment. We love the Unsere Geschichte (Our Story) page on Demel’s website. Notice how the tale begins centuries ago. They add photos, detail and work with different typography styles and sizes to bring the story to life.
Rather than going into massive detail, they keep each section short and to the point so the user can scroll through the story quickly.
Beautiful Relevant Photos
The images on this site are excellent. Not only are they highly relevant, showing the types of pastries they offer, but they look good enough to eat. If you’ve ever tried food photography, you know it takes great skill to create appealing visuals.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal, the images are large enough to make a strong impression.
Typography With Personality
The strong serif font for the wordmark sets the tone for the site, giving it a traditional feel. We like the typography hierarchy on this site, which showcases each page and makes a clear distinction between headings, subheadings and body text. The body text is a sans serif with a taller structure than some sans serifs. The addition meshes the traditional with modern advances.
What We Would Do Different
Much of this site is spot on. One thing we would add are images of some of the menu items. While the text looks elegant, it doesn’t show the finished product and they could lose people at this point in the buyer’s journey as they bounce to other small bakery websites that perhaps showcase the products a bit more.
If looking at their stellar web design has made you a bit hungry, now is a great time to plan a trip to Austria and add Demel’s as a stop on your itinerary.
