New website for Aberdeenshire Arts
AberdeenshireArts website launch
A refreshing new look
We're very excited to say that AberdeenshireArts have launched their new website that has been created and managed by open|box|design.
The site has improved functionality and hosts a wealth of information on the arts for the North East of Scotland and beyond.
What makes a good website? This is the question we ask ourselves before we embark on creating one for our clients. Paramount to web design is the content. The site needs to function as an information source and importantly that information needs to be accessible to everyone as efficiently as possible. It's just no good nowadays to tuck information away; and if you frustrate the user enough they'll simply not bother.
A site also has to look good - again for a similar reason. A bad looking site will turn off users to the point where they just won't return. However the design of the site shouldn't dominate to the point where information is lost in a sea of confusing imagery.
And finally, a site needs to be updatable easily. how many sites have you see where the information is over a year old? It's not usually laziness that's the cause here. It's more to do with a site being very difficult to update unless you happen to have a degree in programming.
With all this in mind, we have created the new AberdeenshireArts website. Our involvement with Aberdeenshire Council, one of our oldest and most faithful clients, began with this very site in it's old guise. The old site was created almost seven years ago and since then has been added to and enhanced by new sections and new content. However, time and technology have moved on significantly and it was definitely time to rethink and revise.
The beauty of the AberdeenshireArts website is the wealth of information it holds - from funding guidelines to the latest news and opportunities of employment - it's all here and in detail - and all free. The site is divided into distinct sections with distinct criteria, and considering the sheer amount of information we have designed the site to be as straightforward as possible.
As for the administration end; that's had a complete overhaul too. This means that it is now very easy for the administrator to add content into one, two or more sections concurrently. It's also as easy to monitor content already on the site. We appreciate that, to the viewer these elements are unimportant, but making the overall system more efficient has the knock on effect that the administrators can spend the same amount of time generating even more content!
And it's not all one way either. Users can submit their own information, news items or opportunities for others to get benefit from. The directory has also been overhauled so that the pictures of artists and organisations are larger and information is more detailed. And finally, the very popular e-bulletin service which reaches hundreds of subscribers has also been given a well-deserved face lift.
The site is part of a new suite of sites which are being rolled out in the near future. More information on this shortly, but in the meantime, please do have a look at the AberdeenshireArts website here.