This project was an exciting opportunity to work with a local Not for Profit. The Opportunity Council came to us for help building a website for a new program called OC Housing Partners because of our experience customizing WordPress sites for other local businesses such as the Whatcom Museum. OC Housing Partners is a social enterprise of Opportunity Council that focuses on increasing safe, affordable, high-quality housing with local connections for resident stability. Opportunity Council is a private, non-profit Community Action Agency serving homeless and low-income families and individuals. Their mission is to “help people improve their lives through education, support, and direct assistance while advocating for just and equitable communities.”
The OC Housing Partners’ team hired Softwired to communicate how OC Housing Partners works with developers and the benefits that developers can reap from partnering with OC Housing on affordable housing through a new website.
Project goal
Our goal was to accurately showcase and share the value of the new program through a well-branded, modern website in order to build awareness and encourage new partnerships. As we took the client through the branding and web design process; their goals were met.
How we did it
We started with logo and branding and built a fresh website from the ground up. We used all their existing brand assets and color guides. A new logo was designed based on these as well. Copy was mostly written by the client and we worked closely with them on the design details of each page.
Branding exercise:
A brand is your customers’ overall perception of your business. It is your company’s “voice.” When you invest in your business’ brand, you are paving the way for a long-term connection with your business.
We started with the brand strategy to identify how OC Housing Partners is unique, trustworthy and appealing to their ideal customer. We identified their purpose and their commitment to their customers.
Other questions we spent time answering were:
- Who is their target audience?
- What are their competitors doing?
- How do they solve their customers’ problems?
- How do they want to be perceived?
- How should their customers feel after working with them?
This was a hybrid project that used a highly customized template-based approach.
The benefits of using a WordPress template include:
- Easy Set-Up
- Customizable
- Low prices
- Wide range of options to suit different industries
- Built-in functionality
- Reliable updates
We are proud of the finished product we created. The website clearly and attractively conveys the benefits of the OC Housing Partners program to their target audience while re-enforcing branding established for the Opportunity Council.
