CSLC | Website design + brand strategy
The Project:
Client:
The Center for Sustainable Landscapes and Communities (CSLC) is a young organization at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Their mission is to engage all members of the community in studying and managing natural, agricultural, and public lands in and around the front range. The CLSC is a collaboration between faculty, students, agencies, and residents, to design the future of landscapes and communities throughout Colorado and the West.
Goals:
Because the CLSC is a young organization, much of the project was deciding who the audience is, what they care about, how the Center wants to engage with its audience, and what kinds of tools would they like to employ in their communication efforts. We settled on a website that makes heavy use of a news blog, events calendar, integrated newsletter, and social media engagement. The goal was to build a brand that is scholarly, compelling, honest, and inclusive.
our approach
We wanted the site to ooze enthusiasm, warmth, and optimism - choosing bright colors, bold designs, and page images that highlight a diversity of public lands stakeholders - hikers, farmers, wildlife, and more. Because of the CSLC’s close association with the university, we had strong design constraints, in terms of visual branding (font, color palette, and layout). But the result is a beautiful mash-up that blends seamlessly with the University while still allowing the Center to stand out. We kept the look clean, modern, and accessible, with full-page banners, thick lineal icons, and high-contrast color arrangements.
the brand
academic, approachable, people-powered.
We wanted to showcase all facets of sustainable communities - wild spaces, thriving business districts, cutting-edge classrooms, and abundant agricultural yields - while still celebrating the overwhelming beauty of the front range itself. One major goal of the center is to facilitate dialogue, so we worked hard to ensure the site offers abundant opportunities for visitors to engage with the content - via Twitter, the mailing list, or attending an upcoming event. The result is a gorgeous and dynamic website with plenty of ways to join the conversation about the future of Colorado landscapes and communities.
