/ 01 Challenges / 02 Solutions / 03 Building Fund / 04 Logo Refresh / 05 Outcomes and Impact / 06 Conclusion

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Objective: Transform the church's outdated website into a dynamic, continuously evolving platform that effectively supports community engagement and church operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

March 2020 - Today

/ 01

Challenges

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's old website before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Immediate Action Required

The onset of the pandemic required a swift response to transition all church activities online, necessitating a functional website within an extremely tight deadline.

Outdated Website

The existing website's structure and design, last updated in 2013, suffered from poor mobile compatibility and navigation issues, making it nearly obsolete for modern needs.

Adapting to Pandemic Restrictions

As in-person gatherings ceased, the church urgently needed a robust online presence to maintain connections with its congregation.

Financial Sustainability

With traditional in-person donations halted, developing an effective online donation system was critical to sustain church operations and community support.

/ 02

Solutions

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website hero section

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website schedule section

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website donate section

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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website eucharistic revival section

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website livestream section

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton website building fund section

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Emergency Covid Site

Initiated a rapid deployment of a clean, simple, and user-friendly site. This first phase used WordPress (which previously had no experience with) and bypassed traditional design processes to immediately provide community access to crucial COVID-19 updates and online services.

Online Donation System

The new, user-friendly online donation feature played a pivotal role in the church's financial sustainability, helping raise over $200,000 during the lockdown.

Live Streaming Integration

Developed a seamless system for broadcasting services, drawing thousands of weekly viewers and keeping the community connected.

Visual and Content Strategy

Employed custom photography and carefully selected visuals that resonated with the congregation, alongside continually updated content reflecting real-time changes and community needs.

Post-Covid Comprehensive Overhaul

Following the emergency response, the website underwent a full redesign on Squarespace, enhancing usability and incorporating a wealth of new and pre-Covid content into a cohesive digital experience.

/ 03

Building Fund

For the church's Building Fund Campaign, I captured the essence of growth and future possibilities with a panning drone shot of the empty lot destined for development to use as a background video.

I also designed several pages to detail the campaign and encourage community support, weaving together visuals and information to inspire and mobilize contributions towards their vision.

All this, along with architectural renderings and photos from a live model demonstration, serves as the cornerstone of the campaign's digital presentation.

Through my work, the campaign not only gained a visual narrative but also a platform for collective action and future-building.

/ 04

Logo Refresh

While updating the website, I noticed the existing logo was pixelated and low quality, prompting a redesign to ensure a high-quality version for web use and beyond. However, upon dissecting the logo's elements for enhancement, it became evident that the original design lacked symmetry and alignment.

Employing a methodical approach, I crafted an overlay based on a perfect square intersected by lines and circles to guide the reconstruction of the logo's components. This meticulous process revealed slight misalignments in nearly every aspect of the design, from the uneven placement of circles to the asymmetry of the purple cross and the irregular shape of the outer rings.

Addressing these issues, I rebuilt the logo from the ground up, ensuring each element adhered to the newly established symmetrical framework. The result was a crisp, polished logo, now available in various formats for diverse media use, aligning perfectly with the church's digital and physical branding needs.

/ 05

Outcomes and Impact

Increased Donations and Engagement

‍The church not only maintained but increased its donations during the pandemic, thanks to the new website's functionality.

Community Support

The website has become an essential tool for offering both spiritual and practical support to the congregation, receiving significant positive feedback.

Adaptive Design Strategy

Highlighted the importance of flexibility in web design, allowing for quick adaptations to meet evolving user needs and external conditions.

Impact of Clear Communication

Effective communication strategies enhanced by the new website design have been crucial in maintaining a strong community bond.

/ 06

Conclusion

The redevelopment of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church’s website was a transformative initiative that began as an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic and evolved into a comprehensive digital platform.

This two-phased project not only maintained community engagement during critical times through essential services like live streaming and online donations but also set the foundation for future growth with a sustainable, user-friendly website.

The successful integration of these digital tools has significantly enhanced the church's ability to connect with its congregation, demonstrating the enduring value of adaptive digital strategies in fostering community ties and ensuring operational continuity.

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