Formed in 2000, the Community Health and Social Services Network is a nonprofit organization that supports English-speaking communities in Quebec in an effort to redress health status inequalities and promote community vitality.
The CHSSN works with more than 60 member organizations across the province. They’re also involved in over 40 projects and partnerships in areas like primary health care, community development and population health.
The Mandate
CHSSN wanted us to help them update their website with a complete brand refresh that would speak to the work and community they’ve built over the years. More importantly, they needed the new site to be dynamic and showcase their vast array of documents and projects in a user-friendly way.
We were mandated to develop a fresh logo, voice and tone, and brand identity, as well as design and build a newly optimized website that would bring them into the now.
Learning to trust again
Having been burned by agencies in the past, CHSSN was concerned about partnering back up with another one for fear their vision would, once again, not be properly executed.
So to put them at ease, we walked them through our process and every phase of the project. This exchange helped reassure CHSSN that our team was there to listen to their needs and support them every step of the way. Our objective over the next 6 months was to create updated branding and website that would meet their marketing goals and accurately reflect who they are as an organization.
Phase A
Hitting refresh with a new brand identity
Here’s how we collaborated with the CHSSN to help them transform their vision into a unique brand identity people could connect with.
We carried out interviews and sent content briefs to key client stakeholders to get a better understanding of their pain points, vision and overall goals.
Design workshops were set up to help inform the new logo and new brand identity for a more stylish and modern feel. We also did a voice and tone workshop to help inform the new brand voice.
In a few feedback sessions, we were able to collectively land on a logo that was modern, approachable, recognizable and represented CHSSN’s passion, knowledge and community-driven values.
Based on the insightful feedback we collected from the voice and tone workshop, our team strategically crafted a brand voice for CHSSN that was more approachable and would better resonate with their target audience’s needs.
In addition to reflecting their inclusive vision, mission, and leadership goals, the final CHSSN brand toolkit included clear guidelines on how to apply the updated branding across their entire marketing ecosystem.
Phase B
Building a scalable website in 4 months
Broken links, 404 page errors, slow load times from hundreds of uncompressed files… all of that was about to change as we entered the second phase of this project: the website refresh.
We used a custom-designed theme and applied the new branding to create a site that’s fast, responsive, dynamic and tailored to meet CHSSN’s needs. The revised website also implemented SEO, design, UX and development best practices, turning it into a powerful platform that could:
The updated site could quickly find information both in the backend for team members, as well as live on the site for visitors. Its scalable foundation also made it easy for CHSSN to implement future videos and upcoming online events.
Turing their old website into a Content Management System would allow the CHSSN staff to effortlessly create and update content independently—no need to go through an IT team or third-party aggregator.
We built a user-friendly document centre designed to house and organize 20 years’ worth of resources. Users can now seamlessly explore documents by publication year, category, topic, author, etc.
The CHSSN was more than pleased to see their vision be respected and brought to fruition. They now had a new brand identity that spoke to who they are as an organization and website with a fully interactive document hub they could be proud to show off.
Because they finally found a team they could count on, the CHSSN turned into a repeat partnership. Our collaboration continues with the organization as we help them further their brand mission and initiatives.
