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Visionary Leadership Web Site Creation Case Study
When Seth Kahan of VisionaryLeadership.com approached Heatbrain several months ago, he knew that he needed a web site and corporate identity that set him apart from his local competition. Through our mutual planning and consideration, we discovered that his competitive advantages (read: his niche) were easily marketable, and targetable.
Planning Process
We started planning Visionary Leadership (an inherently amorphous concept) by gaining a much deeper understanding of how Visionary Leadership was applied in a day to day business sense; both for our customer, and for our customer’s clients. What became clear to us was that Visionary Leadership was a very powerful concept that needed to be articulated, with a focus on educating readers about the importance of the process. We decided to break down the process of education through multiple avenues.
First, the logo and brand of the web site and company needed to create a coherent, cohesive presentation that left a memorable impression on the first time (and repeat) visitor. A general game plan was put in place to define a company logo; prior to actually designing it. Second, imagery, while metaphoric, needed to speak to readers to instantly tie Seth Kahan to Visionary Leadership, and then to communicate Visionary Leadership to the process being discussed on the website. Of course, third on the list, was to make sure that users were educated by strong, well written content that captivated them, and enticed them to read more, subscribe to the blog, and pay attention to VisionaryLeadership.com
Prior to starting the design work, and conceptualizing the necessary web site software to power the website, Heatbrain knew exactly what Visionary Leadership was, and what readers needed to know (at a glance) to connect to it, stick around, and become avid readers.
The Ever-Important Home Page
The mindset we encompass when approaching a web site homepage design is similar to the approach of the front page of a newspaper. We work hard to give users instant access to the important information they are seeking, offering “hooks” (or portals) to that information. A reader can pick their own path, of course, but offering snippets of information to help make that decision easier is our key focus. For a web site like VisionaryLeadership.com, the homepage became an avenue to quickly educate users on exactly what the website was about.
Having an understanding of the business model and services offered, we generated a series of abstract images that communicated on both subconscious and literal levels. Silhouettes were used to embody "anyone" (specifically, the reader), while energetic light patterns were brought into play to communicate the primordial process of building communities. Obviously, the aesthetic is stellar, but what’s more important is that we strived to communicate with readers on multiple levels.
Targeted Homepage Flash
Understanding Seth’s goals of reaching everyone, but specifically focusing on regional C-level executives (specifically, CEOs), the homepage flash was designed to be a quick summary of Visionary Leadership’s service offerings, and skill sets. Additionally, we wanted to validate that Visionary Leadership was a serious business, that did great work for important people. This helped achieve our goal of standing up to scrutiny, and perhaps most importantly, validating that this web site and business offered real solutions, and quality services.
A Cohesive Experience from Start to Finish
The web site continued to take shape as we planned the interior layout for hosting the bulk of the content on VisionaryLeadership.com. We wanted to create a consistent, cohesive experience for the visitor that was laid as a foundation on the homepage, and then carried through on the interior aspects of the website. The goal: make sure people know they are always on VisionaryLeadership.com, no matter where they are on the web site.
We designed an interior architecture that was cohesive with search engine optimization goals (navigation menus made out of CSS/xHTML, not JavaScript, for example), while branding the experience and information delivery back to the overarching goals decided on the homepage. Nuance, as you’ll see, is a very important piece of the puzzle when creating a cohesive online corporate identity and brand
The setup for the layout was also designed to host large amounts of content, share additional resources (much like Heatbrain.com), and be easily manageable via the content management system.
Additionally, specialized header imagery was designed to help further the message and importance of each individual page within the website. As a team, we felt that the light-based imagery did a great job of communicating the essence of the website (energize your work force, build communities, and, from a branding / marketing stand point, trust Seth Kahan).
Taking the Cohesive Experience Outside of VisionaryLeadership.com to a Customized Blog
Because Visionary Leadership has so many excellent offshoots, and practices, a blog was an obvious asset to take advantage of. We worked with Visionary Leadership to develop a custom blog template that could be applied to his already existing WordPress blog, translating the branding and message from the live website to his ever popular blog.
Through our intimate understanding of xHTML & CSS, and how third party software works, such as WordPress’s blog application, we were able to customize the look and feel of the blog to match VisionaryLeadership.com, while still having its own specialized brand identity. This was certainly no small feat, but the results are well worth it. The end result: a blog that is highly optimized for high search engine placement that connects readers to Visionary Leadership in a branded, cohesive manner.
Making VisionaryLeadership.com Easy to Manage and Update
Heatbrain has long felt that managing a website should be as easy as possible, while still giving you all the tools that you need to complete the tasks at hand. This being the case, we developed a customized content management system that worked seamlessly with our web site design and chosen aesthetic; while still allowing VisionaryLeadership.com to expand and grow as the website did, without persistent growing pains.
Our content management system allows Visionary Leadership to add and remove pages from the sitemap on a whim, as well as completely overhaul the content on any page easily and quickly—without any required knowledge of HTML or CSS. The key here, is that we never wanted Seth to have to know HTML in order to manage his website. Thus, the CMS (content management system) was designed to look and feel like Microsoft Word, with pre-styled formatting options in place.
See It Online, Right Now!
www.VisionaryLeadership.com
www.GettingChangeRight.com - Visionary Leadership's Blog
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