Hope and Homes for Children Launch a Positive New Website
This week sees the launch of the new website for Wiltshire-based charity Hope and Homes for Children, designed and developed by digital agency Positive.
Hope and Homes for Children is an international charity working to ensure that all children have the chance to grow up in the love of a family. They are leading experts in closing children's institutions and reforming childcare systems.
The charity first approached Positive in 2010 after seeing their work for African charity Send a Cow. They were looking to create a new site that would engage audiences, clarify their messaging and improve user experience. Increasing donation levels through a simplified donation process was also a key objective. The Bristol agency was commissioned for the project following a nine-way credentials pitch: “Positive’s technical and creative expertise were crucial deciding factors in selecting them as the agency to redevelop our website” says Ann Tate, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Hope and Homes for Children. “We needed an agency that would challenge our ideas and give us sound guidance to produce a website that would meet our objectives.”
Getting the architecture right was the first challenge. Whilst the existing site contained lots of great information, content was buried, hard to find and often completely missed. The new site utilises bold, colour-coded sections and is structured to bring the charity’s work to the forefront and their audiences closer to the info they need. Plus, the new CMS means Hope and Homes for Children can make updates easily and generate the type of dynamic content that gives users a reason to return.
The charity were keen that the site should not bombard users with calls to donate, so while the option to donate is on every page, it is done in a way that allows users to engage with the content before they choose to get involved.
In terms of design, the site needed to feel warm and personal to reflect Hope and Homes for Children's brand values. The use of bold colours, irregular shapes and hand-drawn elements mirrors the charity's child-centred approach to their work, and throughout the site powerful photography and films are used to bring to life the stories of the children and families they work with.
“Our goal was to produce a site that would engage and educate the public” continues Tate, “The site needed to be accessible and easy to update, and bring the children and families whose lives we transform to the forefront. The end result is a website we’re really proud of.”
