The Village of Fontana on Geneva Lake awarded Signalfire a web development contract to develop a site promoting a proposed lakefront building. This building project will be going before a Fall, 2010 public referendum on whether or not to develop this community facility.

Understanding the budget and time requirements, Signalfire coordinated with one of the Village of Fontana’s committees to develop a content managed site that could be updated and changed by either Village personnel or Signalfire team members. Choosing a premium template concept as a launch point, Signalfire customized and branded the site specifically for the building project. A vast amount of meeting minutes, legal documents and conceptual art had to be coordinated and effectively presented online. Additionally, the committee asked Signalfire to develop all of the content ranging from describing the vision of the project to the history of the property—even the nuances of TIF districts and other financing.

The finished product features a past, present and future vision of this stunning project. It is our sincere hope that the citizens of Fontana will see this as a valuable community resource that will enhance their community for generations to come. Please visit the site to discover more.

Does your business need a website? Contact Signalfire to see how our web strategists can get you started towards turning your website from a cost-center into a profit-center.

“We’re proud to have worked with MacIver Institute’s operations team as well as the Board of Directors,” says Matthew B. Olson, President of Signalfire. “The working dynamic and ongoing relationship with MacIver Institute will be an exciting one as we push forward with new projects.”

The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy approached Signalfire in the Fall of 2009 with a challenge. As a political-think tank, how could MacIver Institute brand themselves effectively while delivering academic-quality political policy research and investigative reporting. Their web presence would require incredible organization as well as an easy user interface. All of this needed to be packaged into a clean, contemporary design feel that moved away from the usual “screen-fulls of text”.

Developing a contemporary feel to a area traditionally populated by columns and classic images pushes the bounds of what consumers expect. When developing the logo and tagline, Signalfire took extra effort not to get too far from the brand recognition currently held by their interest community. Yet, part of MacIver Institute’s mission is to develop content valuable to the everyday person and not just politicians, pundits, and fellow academics. This is where the development of “mi” (my) came to life.

Intellectual branding was important to MacIver Institute and the development of mi: reports, mi: perspectives and others brings their name to the forefront of political research and reporting. These branded categories of information are not just silos of loosely-linked data, but cohesive sub-brands that give MacIver Institute’s consumers a solid sense of what the material relates to and how it relates to the overall mission on MacIver Institute.

Forging a new website from an old one presented challenges and opportunities for Signalfire to develop creative ideas. From a user-friendly administrative interface allowing MacIver Institute administrators to manage a full spectrum of content to integrating popular social media elements the website has quickly become a powerful tool in their informational and fund-raising arsenal. Features such as dynamic importing of YouTube videos, Twitter feed and complete mobile browsing compliance has made MacIver Institute’s website all the more useful to followers regardless of platform or locale.

To visit the new website, please click here.

MacIver Institute indicated from the beginning the desire to expand from text-based content into numerous other mediums. Key in this was video. With the addition of an investigative reporting team, MacIver Institute also began producing original video content. By placing it on YouTube, it allowed for greater search engine visibility as well as being brought in dynamically to the site.

With the brand launched and the website live, MacIver is forging ahead with an aggressive email newsletter / marketing effort to help bring critical content to the hands of the people. By coordinating every touchpoint with social media, donation opportunities, and branded content, MacIver is quickly building an intellectual brand that will stand above the rest. Signalfire is proud to be their partner moving forward.

We’ve put together some of the key things you can do to make the process easier still.

1. Assemble A List of Websites You Like or Dislike

Everyone has come across a website you love the design. Most people have come across an equal number of sites where the navigation just doesn’t work well, or the colors are just wrong. Don’t just look in your industry, either. Look at how different sites use navigation, handles subsequent pages or even has a cool product gallery. These ideas help direct our creative direction.

2. Look at the Competition and Gather their Sites

Knowing who your local (or national) competition will make research faster and easier in our discovery process. Also, it will allow Signalfire to better determine what the “bar” is set at and how we can get your site to exceed it!

3. Write Out What Pages You Want

Write a list of what pages your site needs. This list will help gauge the scope of the site development and give Signalfire a starting place in our discussions. Key to web design is the communication of what you’re looking for!

4. Write Your Copy for Each Page

Good writing is critical to a website. Combined with the knowledge you have for your business, writing a rough draft in advanced can save incredible amounts of time and effort. This stage is where most websites stall or even fail in development! If you need help turning the rough draft into a finished version, Signalfire has copywriters to help.

5. Communicate Deadlines or Timeframes

Knowing your business site needs to be complete in time for a product launch or an important tradeshow is something best shared in advanced. Small sites can be done in four to six weeks, but larger sites can take as long as months.

Signalfire works diligently to communicate up front all costs and timeframes. Our web development process delivers quality sites that significantly impacts the online business performance of all of our clients. Call today for a FREE one hour consultation.