the Scott Arboretum’s previous website designA complete solution.
The Scott Arboretum wanted a fresh look to replace their previous design, created way back in 1996. They have a well-recognized logo, and they had already updated the look of several print publications for their 75th anniversary in 2004. I was hired in 2005 to begin work on a new visual design that would fit in better with the polished look of their new printed materials. We also wanted the site’s design to draw attention to the arboretum’s plant collections with an extensive use of photography.
In addition to these goals, the arboretum needed an easily updated solution that was flexible and expandable enough to accomodate future content additions easily. To this end, I implemented an comprehensive templating system that provides several options, ranging from the bare navigation structure to a highly specialized calendar environment.
Content is automatically updated throughout this site wherever possible: changes to a single file instantly update the site’s navigation on every page, and the initial calendar page automatically updates itself at the beginning of each month. Also, the templates explain common errors to the arboretum’s editor with detailed messages that are impossible to miss. These and many similar measures should help the arboretum keep their site looking fresh and polished into the next decade.
There are plenty of added features for visitors, too. Try printing a page on the arboretum’s site — link destinations will be printed as footnotes, and you won’t see a bunch of navigation getting in the way of the content. Try the search feature, too. It makes search results from Google integrate seamlessly into the rest of the site. All these little features add up to provide a seamless experience for visitors without the need for a full-time staff to keep everything running.
