Permanence Matters and Gutenberg Girls
Launch Date: May 2010
Project type: Web site redesign and blog launch
Services: Web and content strategy, IA, project management, SEO copywriting, visual design (for the blog)
Visual design and development: Kirk Roberts Design
URLs: www.permanencematters.com and www.gutenberggirls.com
About the project: Permanence Matters, launched by paper manufacturer Glatfelter in 2008, is an awareness-building campaign to educate publishing industry professionals and consumers of books about the trend toward lower-quality paper in hardcover books. In the face of the vast transformation of the industry due to e-books, Permanence Matters advocates for standards in paper quality — so that when consumers do choose print over digital, they get a book that lasts forever.
After a soft launch in 2008, Permanence Matters relaunched its cause at BookExpo America in 2010. Stacey worked with Glatfelter to build a framework for a site that could grow as the campaign took off and began to make progress, engaging supporters in much the same way other grassroots campaigns are doing with their online presences. Stacey provided content strategy and copywriting, IA and wireframes, and partnered with a designer/developer to build a site in a user-friendly CMS.
Stacey also helped the leaders of the campaign launch a sister “book blog” that would leverage the relationships and following in the publishing industry they had been building through Twitter and live events. Coining the name “Gutenberg Girls,” Stacey mapped out a strategy for the blog and created a design that reflected the smart, fun personalities of its authors.
Night Writer worked with Glatfelter:
- Design a Web content strategy based on the requirements of its Permanence Matters campaign
- Develop a new information architecture to organize information more clearly and better articulate why supporters should back the movement
- Craft content that clearly explained and illustrated the scope of the problem and how to get involved in the solution
- Create a visual design that was clean, attractive and eye-catching, and that supported the campaign message
- Develop the site in an easy-to-use content management system and launch it on an aggressive timeline to support the company’s presence at a major national conference