Western Industrial Ceramics Inc.
Industrial Website Design
Western Industrial Ceramics Inc specializes in advanced thermal management solutions for high-temperature environments. They serve industries that demand precision and performance such as aerospace, foundries, and power generation.
We were brought in to redesign their outdated website. The goal was to capture custom photography that better reflected their capabilities, materials, and scale of operation. While the company was recently acquired by Zar-Tech, the visual foundation we built remains a testament to their legacy as a leader in refractory contracting.
Services
Western Industrial Ceramics Inc.
Industrial Website Design
Western Industrial Ceramics Inc specializes in advanced thermal management solutions for high-temperature environments. They serve industries that demand precision and performance such as aerospace, foundries, and power generation.
We were brought in to redesign their outdated website. The goal was to capture custom photography that better reflected their capabilities, materials, and scale of operation. While the company was recently acquired by Zar-Tech, the visual foundation we built remains a testament to their legacy as a leader in refractory contracting.
Services
The Brand History
About WIC
Western Industrial Ceramics Inc is an industry leader in thermal management and refractory solutions for high-temperature applications. Since 1971 they have expanded to serve clients across ten Western states in the U.S.
With locations in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California they offer comprehensive refractory contracting, manufacturing, and stocking services. To communicate this level of authority, they needed a digital presence that moved beyond a simple brochure site.
The Brand History
About WIC
Western Industrial Ceramics Inc is an industry leader in thermal management and refractory solutions for high-temperature applications. Since 1971 they have expanded to serve clients across ten Western states in the U.S.
With locations in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California they offer comprehensive refractory contracting, manufacturing, and stocking services. To communicate this level of authority, they needed a digital presence that moved beyond a simple brochure site.
Visual Strategy
Website & Color Palette
The original Western Industrial Ceramics Inc website relied on a stark black, red, and white color scheme. It was paired with low-resolution imagery that didn’t fully convey the company’s scale. When rebuilding the site we saw an opportunity to create a more immersive and organized experience.
We introduced a muted mustard yellow as the foundation of a new and intentional color system. We then used supporting tones of orange, blue, green, and red to represent specific service categories across the site:
Orange: Refractory installation services
Blue: Solid refractory products and supplies
Yellow: Soft refractory products like textiles
These colors were layered over hero imagery and assigned to key content sections. This provided both visual structure and clarity to transform the site into a cohesive brand experience.
Industrial Photography
Capturing the Scale
To bring authenticity to the new website we conducted a custom photography session at the Western Industrial Ceramics Inc facility in Sherwood, Oregon. We were granted full access to the warehouse and production areas.
We used post-processing tools like Adobe Photoshop to color-grade the images, matching the industrial mustard tones of the new brand palette. The resulting photography highlighted the company’s advanced capabilities in thermal management and helped communicate the story of a business built on expertise and scale.
A Cinematic Easter Egg
As a fun detail for developers and film fans, we hid a reference to the film Aliens in the site’s code. Since the facility had such a rugged industrial look, we named the main file for the contact page image “Power Loader Controls From Aliens.” It was a subtle nod to the sci-fi aesthetic that inspired the mood of the shoot.
Industrial Photography
Capturing the Scale
To bring authenticity to the new website we conducted a custom photography session at the Western Industrial Ceramics Inc facility in Sherwood, Oregon. We were granted full access to the warehouse and production areas.
We used post-processing tools like Adobe Photoshop to color-grade the images, matching the industrial mustard tones of the new brand palette. The resulting photography highlighted the company’s advanced capabilities in thermal management and helped communicate the story of a business built on expertise and scale.
A Cinematic Easter Egg
As a fun detail for developers and film fans, we hid a reference to the film Aliens in the site’s code. Since the facility had such a rugged industrial look, we named the main file for the contact page image “Power Loader Controls From Aliens.” It was a subtle nod to the sci-fi aesthetic that inspired the mood of the shoot.
The Zar-Tech Transition
A Legacy of Quality
Following our redesign, the company was acquired by Zar-Tech. While the new ownership has made updates to the site content, the core structure and photography we produced continue to serve the brand. We are proud of the work we accomplished for WIC and remain available to help Zar-Tech maintain the high aesthetic standards established during this project.
FAQ
What services did Graphicsbyte provide for Western Industrial Ceramics Inc.?
Graphicsbyte, originally under Velare Media, provided website design, web development, photography, and color strategy for Western Industrial Ceramics Inc. The project ran from July 2016 through April 2020 and delivered a custom color-coded WordPress website and a professional photography library captured on-site at their Tualatin facility.
How was the Western Industrial Ceramics website color system designed?
The original site used a stark black, red, and white scheme paired with low-resolution imagery. Graphicsbyte introduced a muted mustard yellow as the foundation of a new intentional color system, with supporting tones of orange, blue, and yellow assigned to specific service categories across the site. This gave the site both visual structure and clarity, transforming it from a basic brochure into a cohesive brand experience.
How was the industrial photography approach handled for this project?
Graphicsbyte conducted a custom photography session at the Western Industrial Ceramics facility with full access to the warehouse and production areas. Images were color-graded in Adobe Photoshop to match the industrial mustard tones of the new brand palette, giving the photography a cinematic and intentional look that communicated the company’s scale and expertise in thermal management and refractory contracting.
