Integrated Ideas Agency were delighted to be chosen to support the Charlie Watkins Foundation by updating their website.
Whilst this was a great start to the year for us in some ways, it has of course a tinge of sadness that we should be helping such a foundation which has been set up in memory of Charlie, who sadly took his own life following the many challenges of mental health. This is such a poignant story and a subject that is currently at the heart of so many right now, that we wanted to make sure we did the site justice and deliver something the client was truly delighted with.
The new site is aimed at raising awareness, but also to encourage people to get involved, raise money and ultimately donate their time and money to help support a range of chosen charities.
The Charlie Watkins Foundation, based in Chelmsford, is teamed up with Essex Community Foundation who provide vital funding to local voluntary and community organisations in Essex through donations from individuals, companies, charitable trusts and public agencies. They invest these donations so that year on year they can award grants that make a real difference to the quality of life of those in the region.
Founded in 2017, The Charlie Watkins Foundation goal is to:
To encourage young people to speak openly about mental health, give them the confidence to seek help, and equip them to enhance their mental health and wellbeing.
From a design perspective, we looked to provide a website that positioned itself as an open and trustworthy foundation with strong credibility. It was essential that the site was easy to navigate for the end-user, and for those wishing to donate, that they can quickly find the information they need as well as direct calls-to-action to the Just Giving page. To give the website some subtle movement and bring attention to the ‘donate’ calls-to-action, we gave the ‘heart’ of the donate areas a subtle pulse to catch the eye, and ensured that we situated each of these in prominent areas on the page.
The bold colours throughout the site, brought from the updated branding, bring a new lease of life and vibrancy, not to mention aid the user to follow their journey within the site. We took inspiration from the branding and created strong and bold iconography for each of the sections, and this brought in a further visual reference alongside the wording, all to make it easier for the user.
The final result was a very happy client, which upon going live sent us a lovely email to say:
"We're so thrilled with the site, it's brilliant! It's a dream to work with, we love it!"
Not to mention a further message from the Development Director days afterwards saying
"Thank you for a fabulous website."
We love to hear this from our clients, both new and existing and it's a real testament to the work that we do here at Integrated Ideas.
We have been inspired by the work of the Charlie Watkins Foundation… If you are too, why not consider choosing them as your Corporate Charity of the Year?
cwfoundation.co.uk