Digitalising Calligraphy
A modern online strategy for an ancient craft
Website | Booking System | SEO
Putting pen to paper
We love working with other artists! It means we can create unique, beautiful websites without a stock image in sight!
Northwest Calligraphers' Association approached us to create a new website for them, that showcased their members' work and events info.
We came up with a solution that not only showcased their members work but also meant they could run all of their workshops online, increasing their membership and keeping everyone safe from Covid-19.
We are really happy with the end result and looking forward to being able to use it with our membership.
We now have a website we can be proud of and one we can update as and when we need to. I would definitely recommend Butter Digital to anyone wanting to build a professional site.
The Challenge
Northwest Calligraphers Association were in desperate need of a new website.
Their old website was ancient and relied on a ‘webmaster’ for updates. All payments were taken by cheque and bookings needed to be made by email or post!
They needed a clean, easy to navigate site that was easy to update themselves and allowed visitors to book and pay for workshops and events through the website.
Our Solution
A modern, easy to update website with a booking system and payment integration
1
Branding
Before we could get started on the website we needed to create a new visual identity. The majority of the NWCA's branding came from their original website and no longer reflected the clean and modern look they were looking for.
- We created a deep dive document that we could give to all members of the committee to gather all the information on the brand.
- Then we ran a short branding workshop to discover exactly what we needed to build a new brand message and visual identity.
- We then finalised messaging, tone of voice, logos, typography, colour palettes and photography into a set of brand guidelines for how NWCA is presented to the world.
2
Custom Website Design
We had to totally rethink, redesign and improve their current website while ensuring that the new website was easy for anyone to manage, including future committee members.
- Utilising the new brand guidelines, we designed a contemporary layout filled with white space allowing their calligraphy images to do the talking.
- For the members' work, we created several colour-coded galleries which showcased the art in an extremely unique way.
- Northwest Calligraphers's also required custom commissions and membership sign-up forms which we built to automatically send data to the correct committee member.
3
Booking System & Payment Integration
When the scale of the covid-19 crisis became clear, we supported NWCA to bring all their courses online so that they could continue their growth and keep their members engaged during lockdowns.
As a volunteer organisation, it was important that we automated the processes at every step to ensure the committee members time was protected
- We integrated an online events calendar to keep members up to date on all upcoming workshops and events.
- To take payments we connected the events calendar to an online payment platform (Paypal) eliminating the need for payment by cheque or cash.
- For membership fees, we created multiple subscription-based payment options that automatically renewed each year giving the treasurer her time back!
Managing a website can be complex so we had to keep it simple. Ensuring that each process was as automated as possible to free up the time of the non-tech-savvy membership was a challenge that I really enjoyed.
Now they can just watch the bookings come in knowing that the email confirmations and reminders will be sent automatically and the money is already in the bank.
The Results
Fully Booked
Workshop bookings have increased. NWCA now run 2 to 3 fully booked events every week.
Membership Increase
A big increase in membership with new members joining from as far afield as Australia.
Recurring Revenue
Predictable cash flow from the membership recurring revenue enables them to run even more events for their members.
Free Time
Automating nearly all the events and payments processes saved the whole committee hours of work each month.
In Summary
NWCA's new website launch was a complete success. Within 12 hours the bookings for events were flying in. The ability to take their workshops online, not only nationwide but worldwide, opened up a completely new revenue opportunity and grew their membership into a flourishing community.
What Happened Next?
Search Engine Recognition
The brand new site was optimised for search engines and ranks highly in searches.
Brand Reptutation
The NWCA is now recognised as an industry leading Calligraphy Association in the UK
More Commissions
With an easy way for customers to reach out, the number of commisions has increased dramatically.