Transform Mksm Website Design

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT US:

TransForm MKSM is an Architecture and Built Environment Centre (ABEC), and we deliver design services and training to people in the Milton Keynes South Midlands growth area. Government have set ambitious housing delivery targets for the area, and it is our job to ensure that the housing being designed is of the highest standard in terms of urban design. We primarily cover the growth area, but our aim is to be recognised as the go to organisation for housing design within the ABEC network.

We have recently rebranded, including a change of name from "CREATE MKSM". As part of this rebrand, we have recently designed and produced a logo and brochure, which sets the design details to be carried over for a the new website, so as to build a brand. The brochure also provides good example content that can be used in the website designs.

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED:

We need a new website to kickstart our online marketing activity. We want to keep the website simple and focus on the key messages. The key objectives for the website are:

convincing target audience members of the need for design advice and training

highlighting how Transform MKSM can deliver services to satisfy this need, improving the quality of design within the region

establishing Transform MKSM as a thought leader within the industry, and a go to organisation for housing design matters within the ABEC network

Specifically, we need designs for the following FIVE pages:

1. Homepage

- featured portfolio (probably dominated by a large photo of related work)

- latest news headlines (date posted + short headline only)

- key introduction messages (a few lines about our organisation; see the brochure)

- call to action (we want people to contact us)

2. About us (the MKSM area / MKSM people)

- consult the brochure to get an idea of the content

3. How we can help (the services we offer / the benefits of these services)

- the services we offer are very important; we want to make sure we explain what it is that we do clearly

4. Blog (a "standard" blog design; eg: will be powered by wordpress or similar)

5. Portfolio article page (the focus will be on large images with short descriptions)

Every page should include the following key elements:

a) Header that includes:

- main navigation (Home / About us / How we can help / Portfolio / Contact)

b) Footer that includes:

- list of our affiliations (small logos - see brochure)

- copyright notice

- footer navigation (accessibility / legal)

- possibly a mini-sitemap (see http://www.webdesignerwall.com/trends/mo...

The design needs to stick to the brand guidelines and complement our existing marketing activities. (see attached documents)

The design needs to be fairly flexible, straight forward, and extensible. The website needs room to evolve over time.

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS:

Local Authorities

House builders and developers

Government agencies

RSLs

ABEC network users

Community groups

Within the target audiences, it will be higher managers who will make the decision as to whether or not to buy in our services, so these must be our key targets. However, the website needs to be accessible to anyone needing information, so needs to appeal to regular users too.

WE LIKE THESE DESIGNS:

http://www.acdandc.org.uk/ -

This site is clean and easy to use. It looks crisp, but maybe a little too cool and clinical. The photo flash, structure are a good indicator for our site though.

http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/

This has a good balance of visual interest and text; the work areas are clearly laid out and easy to navigate. There is also a search function and options for the text size.

http://www.openhouse.org.uk/

This site is pretty decent in terms of clarity, but is a little dull. The top bar is a nice feature though, so something like this could be included.

http://www.beam.uk.net/

The navigation is simple and the front page is eye catching; although a little content-light. The structure of the content is good though.

WE ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE (or we don't want to see) THIS IN OUR DESIGN:

You MUST follow the attached BRAND GUIDELINES with regard to colours / look and feel etc...

You MUST supply designs for the FIVE pages listed above.

We're going to need PSDs or some other layered image format so we can build the website.