Basic information architecture, custom web design, website development, ExpressionEngine integration
When a site's design is years out of date, typically that means the code and the usability are in need of review and restructuring. Such was the case with Deschutes County's FireFree.org website.
Last fall we worked closely with Katie Lighthall, Program Coordinator, on moving both, Project Wildfire and FireFree to the ExpressionEngine CMS. At the time the primary focus was to move the site to EE in order for the content to be easily manageable, and to refresh the look and feel of the Project Wildfire site just enough to not be so outdated. The FireFree site, however, was not a design focus until later.
The FireFree logo and overall brand had been redesigned and the site needed to match, so that's where we came in. Our focus was to really make the site engaging and a place for residents of Southern Oregon to get good information on preventing their homes from devastation in wildland fires. To do that, we started with the new brand and pulled from there. We went for a much more modern look and feel that would appeal to a wide audience while still focusing on the content.
We also re-organized the site a bit to help with better usability and organization of the site's content. The biggest change was an improved Events section that allows each even to be highlighted on its own page as needed.
FireFree.org continues to be managed internally via ExpressionEngine and its Multiple Site Manager module, which allows Katie to manage both, FireFree.org and Project Wildfire with just one login and system.