We’re constantly working to collaboratively counsel clients on long-term technology and user experience strategies. For us, that big-picture consulting is *the* key component to our relationships with clients such as RARE Conservation, whose core website we redesigned this year after launching their RARE Planet website in 2009.
The visual design of the RARE Conservation website was borne from the aesthetics of RARE Planet, which was designed by our own Laura Schoppa. “We created a light and airy, organized interface that highlights call-to-action buttons to ‘follow’ a campaign; showcases powerful wildlife photos; and promotes user-submitted content like videos,” she said.
The layout of the site combines elements from existing branding and brings attention to primary actions through iconography, tabs, precedence, and liberal white space.
“As a designer,” Laura said, “I know it’s my responsibility to craft a visual representation for a message; an aesthetic that has the most impact possible. So, on a professional level, it makes me feel good to know this was accomplished. On a personal level, it's nice to know that I had a hand in helping the environment.”
For their infrastructure, we implemented a flexible Drupal architecture that enables RARE to manage content easily and publish stories relevant to conservationists and interested citizens alike. The homepage includes a fluid feature area that can be updated to accommodate rich media experiences.
Business Analyst Sharon Smith said that a unique challenge for RARE was their need to incorporate materials written in four different languages -- and based around two different site architectures.
“We solved this by using a multi-lingual module and Context, which allows the user to see only content in her or his selected language,” she said. After all, caring for our Earth extends far beyond the English language. Director of Operations Rich Tolacka was along among the team members responsible for delivering this vibrant new online presence for RARE.
