CCC&D

PROJECT HISTORY

After 18 years in Hendersonville, North Carolina, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design purchased a new facility in downtown Asheville. This move was part of a 2 year strategic plan set out by the Board of Directors in order to further serve and engage makers, students, and the general public, expand its programming, and visibly reinforce CCCD’s role as a national conduit for craft.

 

With the move came an increase in visitorship, increased website and social media traffic and increasing expectations to customize user experience and messaging. The old website was not structured for growth of programs or integration with social media and staff is unable to create new menus.

DESIRED OUTCOMES

•Extend and reinforce existing brand developed by Phillip Bell

•Make calls to action clear on website, especially donation button on landing page

•Simplify online giving and encourage smaller gifts

•Integrate NEON CRM into design through web forms

•Establish a hierarchy to include Benchspace and local events so visitors can easily find out what’s happening in Asheville

•Use Wordpress CMS and make updating and documentation simple for staff

•Attract a younger audience

•Integrate social media accounts – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud

•Reconceptualize front page to make content more active and changing

•Improve usability and navigation for users and staff

DESIGN CHALLENGE AREAS

•Integrating Neon CRM, and designing their proprietary forms to fit the site’s aesthetic

•Establishing relationship and sub-brand for Benchspace Gallery & Workshop and other initiatives within The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design parent brand

•Maintaining integrity of scholarly focus and tone, while being accessible to the public

•Functionality for a diverse audience, not alienating an older audience with overly conceptual design

•Creating new hierarchy for programs and external websites like New Apprenticeship Project and Makers

•Reminding the audience we are a nonprofit and rely on individual support

•Establish a tone and graphic identity to accommodate variety of audiences: old vs. young, local vs. national, scholarly vs. public

SAMPLE AUDIENCE PROFILES

1. 26 year old, female, decorative arts history grad student at Bard Graduate Center in NYC. Looking for national grant opportunities on the website.

2. Visitors (potential donors): Wealthy couple, early 70s. Browsing downtown Asheville on holiday from Charlotte, they are collectors and givers to Penland, but unaware of the work of CCCD. They want to learn how they can give, sign up for updates and attend future exhibitions. They are interested in how CCCD supports young artists.

3. 58 year old, Male, Ceramic Artist and Professor, Advisor for Windgate Fellowship nominee. Would like to find out more about how his students can apply for grants. He can navigate websites, but prefers to print out information.

4. 38 year old, female, media artist, lives in Asheville. Wants to know what’s going on at Benchspace and how she can exhibit or participate.

5. Visitors: couple, early 50s. Does not know about craft or what we do. Interested in learning about all programs, mission and vision.