Brief
Sisters Hospitallers English Province cares for, and supports, the sick, elderly and disadvantaged in the UK and Africa. Its old site lacked a clear structure with some content hard to find. A more user-friendly approach was needed. We were tasked with retaining the existing brand while creating a site that was friendlier, less cumbersome and which would attract more donors, volunteers and even potential new Sisters to join the charity.
Solution
Given the variety of the work of the Sisters, and its geographic spread, it was important to maintain a light touch when telling their story. We found ways to tell their stories in visual ways:
- with an interactive map to highlight the breadth of their work and the people they serve
- and with an illustrative style to introduce a more family-friendly, approachable style.
It was also important to ensure the site was responsive: displaying perfectly on handheld devices as well as desktop computers. We chose a straightforward content management system for this client: they have little time to do updates and their focus is understandably on other areas. We built, wrote and populated the site and produced a training pack and offered training to give the Sisters everything they needed to ‘drive’ the system for themselves.
The new Sisters Hospitallers site is a case in point of how ‘less is more’. It’s light, bright, inviting and inspiring – and showcases the client as an important force alongside other international care charities.
Impact
The site takes the existing brand and moves it along with the addition of enhanced photography, graphics and illustration. It looks modern and appealing and is easy to read on any device as well as being intuitive to navigate around.
The result effectively captures hearts and minds as it’s clear to see how people can support the charity in different ways, and how their support really can change lives.
Blackwood launched the site via an HTML email which was opened by over 70% of recipients – almost 40% above the industry average.