The new website takes this inspiring nonprofit from the make-it-work world of Squarespace to a fully custom approach designed and developed for their specific needs. The Union was founded on the belief that the arts can be a vehicle for social justice and greater civic engagement. They strive to utilize the arts as a bridge to connect our diverse community in innovative and meaningful ways. And now they have more control over their digital destiny.

The driving direction for the site design was to show rather than tell. We knew we had an archive of professional photography to work with. The photo-centric design showcased not only the building and its facilities but the people who frequent the community-focused programming. We also made it quick and easy to change the site’s global action color. It’s a simple thing, but this will help the experience feel fresh as the site lives on. We launched with a beautiful light blue to help welcome spring to the Midwest.

The main content challenge was pulling together their eight different programs. From exhibitions to the co-op studios to the artist fellowship, nothing lines up cleanly. A very flexible CMS was needed. We used Craft which allowed us to develop simple pages with various content blocks to create a myriad of layouts. Any exhibition can showcase its art and the co-op can pull in a variety of events and an artist can share their story.

Happenings adds another layer to the site experience. If you simply want to know what’s going on at The Union, everything you can attend is found in one place. An entry ties back to the programs in some way and can easily link to any third-party RSVP service.