“Designing the new website for Bridge North East was a real pleasure”. Having the chance to use my skills and experience as a graphic designer is something I will always jump at. I feel that when designing a website (or any large design project for a client), it is really important to have everyone in the client team involved who will be using and maintaining the site. Their opinions matter, and managing expectations and communicating direction of design early on is just as important as creativity in the process…Although, with this project, there were risks attached…if there were any client-designer challenges, timeline slippages, etc, I’d still be sat on the next seat along from my clients (AKA colleagues) as I’d be working on lots of other projects and daily tasks at the same time as designing the new site. When this trepidation creeps in I make myself feel better by getting out the old GANT chart (as is now customary) and forensically plan all the phases of work. #Bulletproof.
What do we want our new site to do?
We knew…we wanted to have a clean, contemporary, adaptable and easy to maintain website.
We knew…that in a world which is incredibly media intensive, designing and building good looking media is vital to releasing our digital potential, preferably with content which is optimised and delivered as quickly as possible to site visitors across multiple platforms.
We knew…that we wanted a site to be absolutely responsive to all devices and screen sizes.
We knew…that there was a developer who I’d previously worked with who has built a powerful, simple and user-friendly CMS which can deal with anything from the needs of a small, modest site – to bigger e-commerce platforms.
We knew…that our programmes need to have a clear digital arena to be communicated from.
We knew…that this is an important moment and opportunity to give a boost to the brand of Bridge North East. Our brand needs to make us known for doing what we do best and the digital platforms we design and develop are an essential delivery tool in communicating this…in communicating what we stand for.
So…I had an idea of how I wanted it to look and function, so I started designing the first drafts of the site, consulted with my Bridge colleagues so everyone collaborated, and right on time produced the new Bridge North East site – Doing so in collaboration with the brilliant and lovely Band X Media. I’ve designed 4 websites now on different CMS platforms, however band-X’s Freedom system has become a firm favourite to build out a site (once designs, themes and page templates have been rendered). Editing in Freedom is liberating when compared to other platforms I’ve designed towards, or simply used as a web systems user for other jobs. Freedom guided by a unique logic which really helps a designer to consider, navigate and apply media assets, which then influences our creative thinking on how users experience the Bridge North East site.
Now then, in relative terms, I’m new to web design, and have taken a career path which has had me working as a visual artist, illustrator, curator, art director, project manager, arts administrator and arts professional; I came to becoming a designer of products and projects for print and web more recently…Doing so after being influenced by a designer friend of mine who marries functional design, marketing nous, and artistic sensibility in his projects with flare, who made me feel that maybe becoming an ‘all round’ artist/designer with a digital specialism was for me. I love the fact that I no longer have to engage with the previous dark-art of trying to grapple (badly in my case) with the likes of Dreamweaver (an Adobe HTML web editor and development tool), and I can solely concentrate on design and work with an innovative developer (who can do all the coding and building).
What now? We’re now constantly pruning, regularly adding relevant content, and the Bridge NE Communications group (Myself, Leila d’Aronville and Kelly Shutler) are undertaking periodic content audits.
Favourite area on the new site? As well as the Artsmark pages (where there is lots of useful information for schools wishing to gain Artsmark), I really like the growing Video Library area where we’ve pulled together films made by us, our partners and included other inspiring films related to our work. Current favourites include:
Ken Robinson on creativity in Schools: An RSA animation of Ken Robinson’s uplifting talk on the need for creativity and divergent thinking in schools.
State of the Region by Northern Stars: A film by Northern Start highlights best practice in participatory film for young people in the NE.
NICE (Next Steps In Creative Education), Gold Arts Award: NICE is a 6 month opportunity for early stage visual artists in the North East who are aged 19 to 25.
Find the new site at http://www.bridgenortheast.com
Bridge North East Blogs 