A team of ten have transformed a simple site for and about creative professionals into a dynamic and electrifying experience. "You've turned our little idea for a webpage into something that's exciting to visit everyday," raves actor (and Haven founder) Tony Hale.
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The Haven is an organization that builds community around creative professionals integrating their faith and their craft. In less than ten years, Haven grew from a small handful meeting each week to a network of over 500 actors, dancers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and artists. In 2004, Haven's communications team set out to redesign the website to better reach our current members, new artists to the New York City area, and our larger international network.
With these audiences in mind, it was equally important to build a site with clear, simple messaging and design a friendly, non-technical user experience. Here's what we did:
Reorganize the site map.
With a group of 200 regular attendees each week, the Haven is a big operation with a lot happening. We needed to place topics under a few clear headings. A minimalist and strict framework followed: everything had to fit under a heading for a good reason. This set the standard for an efficient and expedient production process.
Rewrite the copy.
We wanted to speak directly to our audience, so we threw
formalities out the window and spoke freely. Not many
Haven members are web or tech-savvy and we used that to
our advantage, constructing statements that would reassure
and empower these users.
Select a color palette.
Our approach to color was inspired by classic works of
PIcasso, an homage to the Haven's focus on the arts. Some
colors were assigned to particular areas of the site, while
others were integrated throughout.
Employ a fresh look.
It was vital to treat the site's graphical user interface with particular care, considering the audience of artists (our peers) were both our biggest fans and critics. A special blend of VH1, Cargo, vintage art, and urban graffiti was the result.
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