The Mission
Westside were in a pickle; with two websites relating to the BID already out there - one being heavily outdated, and the other unfinished - it was unclear to end users which site was the correct one to view and get updates from. They knew their online presence needed to improve, especially with a 2020 election for the Westside district on the horizon.
The call for a refresh went out and Devetecho gladly answered, with a bespoke design and WordPress development in mind. After a meeting at their Birmingham offices, the following key objectives for the site were identified:
- Develop a new site to replace the two existing websites, taking content from both and additional new content
- Create a bespoke design that aligns to their branding and that of their new Westside World publication
- Deliver a hub for news updates, social media posts and generally get the message across of exactly what Westside BID do for their area
With the project requirements identified, it was time to get to work.
Design & Development
With the news stories being so important to the site, the core aims for the design were simplicity, enticing content presentation and readability. A couple of design concepts were put to Westside for discussion, showing the home page and sub content pages on Desktop and Mobile. In the end an amalgamation of the two was settled upon.
Design sorted, the next step was to get to work on developing the website. WordPress was a good fit for the project, as Westside wanted a CMS that was user-friendly and allowed them to regularly add new stories and updates to the site. Producing a custom theme for the website ensured the site wasn't bogged down with a large number of plugins. - another bonus of bespoke development.
