CASE STUDY: EAST NORWICH CIVIC ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
Do you ever get so excited about a new project that you forget to take "before" pictures? Yeah, me too.
That's what happened with my latest website design project with the East Norwich Civic Association.
Why was I so excited for it to go live? Well, every so often, I have the opportunity to have total control over a website’s design. This usually happens when a client has a very old website, no existing branding, and expresses complete trust in my abilities. It’s flattering, of course, but while having free rein is exciting, it is also a challenge.
So while there are no "before" pictures, keep reading to learn more about the design process and see the amazing "after" photos! [I'm really proud of this one]
The Client
The East Norwich Civic Association is a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to provide a network and forum to maintain, preserve, and enhance the quality of life for all residents of East Norwich. They also support the Beautification Committee of East Norwich, which uses the civic association for its online presence.
The Problem
The website was outdated and rarely maintained. The copy was minimal, the design was plain, there were very few photos (if any at all) and there was just a simple logo that also needed a refresh. The website also lacked intuitive navigation. As a result, the website lacked credibility, and the civic association was missing out on potential supporters!
The Goal
The goal of the new East Norwich Civic Association website was to build trust among website visitors, reach new audiences, particularly younger families, and offer a digital space to develop an informed and engaged online community.
The Solution
Through the RB Collaborative website design questionnaire and an understanding of the civic association’s mission, I set out to develop a website brand that is representative of the organization’s work.
First came the color palette. To determine the best colors to use, I researched the hamlet of East Norwich with a focus on better understanding the natural landscape. A welcome sign was painted in gold lettering and had vibrant purple pansies planted at its base. Flowers and tall grasses could be found in road medians. Being on Long Island and part of the Town of Oyster Bay, this hamlet is not far from the harbor and has a few small waterbodies of its own.
East Norwich Civic Association’s final color palette
Considering one of the key issues the civic association addresses is preserving the community character of East Norwich, nature plays a significant role. For a color palette, I began with a pale, muted turquoise to serve as a neutral background, accented by bold jewel tones that are both representative of nature and the vibrancy of the community.
While I could have gone a more traditional route in shades of blue and green, I found that this color palette makes more of an impact without losing sight of the project’s goals and organization’s mission.
The color palette also offered an opportunity to create some uniformity in the photos used. While I had access to a few new photos of the hamlet, I had to rely primarily on Squarespace’s selection of free stock photos that could enhance the visual storytelling aspect of the site.
To create a sense of continuity, I added a dark green overlay to the photos. The effect was a consistent design that also added interest as the photos were now a bit less generic looking than their full-color counterparts.
East Norwich Civic Association
With this bolder color palette, I wanted to offer balance with the font choices. The headers on the various pages are a bold serif font, while the body text is a lighter weight sans-serif font that makes the content easier to read.
I rarely use a serif font [I’m a Montserrat girl], but this was a fun opportunity to play with different styles that I normally don’t get to explore. The balance between the bold serif and the lighter sans-serif font highlight the importance of each section and offer more information to those interested in reading.
East Norwich Civic Association website on desktop and mobile
For the layout, I explored a different style than I typically have for previous projects. Oftentimes nonprofit organizations have so much content and a need for so many pages that a staggering of full bleed images and text may not make sense, particularly once reformatted for mobile. Here, I was able to explore layout opportunities that could present the information in an interesting manner to keep visitors engaged, informed, and motivated to take the next step.
The Result
I’ll admit, when I first presented the website to the client I was nervous. To be fair, I am always nervous when it comes to this phase of a project. I opted to present two homepage styles — one more traditional and the other the one I had really loved. I discussed both without prejudice, and they immediately gravitated toward my favorite as well. What a relief!
This modernized online presence achieved the organization’s goals of appealing to new audiences, communicating the issues clearly and concisely, and making it easy for people to contact, attend a meeting, and donate.
Want Results Like These?
I love helping nonprofits and small businesses tell their stories through thoughtful website design. Get in touch!
