Nizhyn cucumbers
The Nizhyn cucumber is a 17th-century variety bred through folk selection on the iron-rich marshy soils of Nizhyn, Ukraine. Crunchy with an unmistakable flavor, it was once supplied to the imperial
court, exported to Europe from the 19th century onward, and by 1913, 50 million units had been sold. But after a fungal disease wiped out the plantations, the variety was declared lost and removed from the State Plant
Register. For seven years, breeders at the "Mayak" research station in the village of Kruty painstakingly restored it - and in 2016 returned it to the register. Silpo's "Lavka Tradytsiy" project took on the mission of
giving the revived variety a second chance: sales of a limited batch from the last harvest fund new cucumber beds in Nizhyn. This campaign needed a landing page that makes the story of the cucumber's disappearance and
rescue as compelling as the product itself.
Task
Design and execute UX/UI and front-end development for a promotional landing page for the "The One and Only Nizhyn" campaign under Silpo's "Lavka Tradytsiy" project. The landing page must narrate the story
of the legendary variety's extinction and revival, explain its unique qualities (flavor, crunch, shelf life), feature the real people who saved the cucumber, and motivate visitors to purchase a limited-edition jar.
Include a hero section with a live jar counter, a history section with archival photography, a three-column infographic of the variety's qualities, an embedded video story, a "How to save Nizhyn" block with product
photography, and a testimonials section featuring breeders from the "Mayak" station. Visual language: artisanal botanical illustration in a green-and-yellow palette.
What was done
- Developed a visual concept styled as a botanical atlas: cream background, rich green and lemon-yellow accent colors, custom illustrations of cucumbers, leaves, tendrils, and blossoms that elevate a product page into an art piece.
- Designed the hero section "The One and Only Nizhyn Needs Your Help" with a central botanical cucumber illustration framed by leaves, a live jar counter in the header (298 jars remaining), and two CTA buttons: "Help" and "Learn more."
- Created a "History of Nizhyn" section on a green background with an archival photo of the Nizhyn Canning Factory monument (1927-2017), a chronology spanning from the 17th century to European export, and the milestone of 50 million units sold by 1913.
- Built a "Why Nizhyn Is Special" infographic in a three-column layout with custom illustrations: "Unique flavor" (iron-rich soil), "Crunchiness" (local water with calcium and silver ions), and "Long shelf life" (traditional barrel-brining technique with sun curing).
- Integrated a "Story of Nizhyn" video section with an embedded player and harvest footage on an embroidered tablecloth to reinforce the authentic atmosphere.
- Developed a "How to Save Nizhyn" block with product photography of the limited-edition "The One and Only Nizhyn" jars under the "Lavka Tradytsiy" brand and a call to purchase one of the last 1,000 jars to fund new cucumber beds in Nizhyn.
- Created a testimonials section "Others Care About Nizhyn's Future Too" with a photograph of the "Mayak" research station team (Kruty village, near Nizhyn) and a quote carousel: Nadiia Ptukha describes annual breeding work since 1974, Oleksandr Kasian recounts seven years of effort to return the variety to the State Register.
- Built anchor-link navigation: "About the cucumber," "What happened," "How to help" - for quick jumps between narrative sections.
- Delivered responsive layouts with a dedicated mobile version on a yellow-green background: content blocks in vertical card layout with rounded corners, botanical illustrations preserved, and text legibility maintained on small screens.
- Placed partner logos in the footer: Silpo, Lavka Tradytsiy, and Slow Food in Ukraine, alongside Facebook and Instagram links and a customer hotline number.
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