InformationBrooklyn Endeavor Experience (BEE)
www.beegreennow.org
CHALLENGE
Assert Brooklyn Endeavor Experience's mission and presence in a unique and interactive online community.
SOLUTION
An easy to update website that outlines BEE's goals, is simple to use, and a vehicle for BEE's future growth.
BEE contacted Design Brooklyn after viewing the site we developed for another local organization (Dancewave.org). Primarily concerned with community uplift and local outreach Brooklyn Endeavor Experience wanted to partner with local artists to build their home on the internet. Enter Design Brooklyn.
We started by having several discussions about what BEE represented as an organization and how they saw themselves growing. In addition to representing Brooklyn as an oversight committee for the Atlantic Yards Project, BEE wanted to stimulate the growing green collar workforce, and increase the communities environmental awareness. It immediately became clear that they needed help unifying their various goals under one unique public image.
DESIGN
Starting with their color story, Design Brooklyn maneuvered past the basic green scheme normally associated with environmental groups. BEE needed something more urban, and more connected to Brooklyn. We grounded their design by infusing the palette with a rusty orange that complimented the rich blues and greens.
When it came time for imagery the search ended in Brooklyn's Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant communities which were filled with row houses and brownstones.
For their logo treatment we combined their palette with the brownstone sketch and a modified organic typeface.
To complete the site's green appeal, we added a simple but effective animation of a lone tree growing in front of the brownstones.
FUNCTIONALITY
Brooklyn Endeavor Experience needed basic blogging functionality to post updates, change content, and keep the community informed.
Design Brooklyn created and implemented a custom content management system that allowed BEE's administration to manage the site quickly and easily. This immediately cut the cost of website maintenance allowing BEE to channel their funds directly to their community initiatives.
The Brooklyn Endeavor Experience site was also built with expansion in mind. BEE was very clear that the site needed to act as a base for their current initiatives as well as provide a platform for future growth. The Design Brooklyn content manager enables them to scale up the number of community events on their calendar, create limitless news updates, and even tailor their mission to fit their current perspective.
Here's what BEE had to say...
"Working with Design Brooklyn was GREAT!!! Not only were we able to support local talent, but the staff was supportive, flexible and provided the creativity and guidance we needed to go from having no website at all to one that embodies our mission and culture. As a new nonprofit, the website has increased our visibility and expanded our network. The website is also helping to raise awareness about issues affecting our environment and how we can preserve it. Thank you Design Brooklyn. The site looks fabulous!"
