We’ve just finished re-designing GraceHillsChurch.com from top to bottom. Check out this screenshot (or click it to visit the real thing) and then read more below…
(Note that we have a separate design for mobile users – you’ll only see this if you’re on a desktop browser or if you scroll to the bottom of the mobile version and switch to the desktop version.)
Why the Redesign?
Primarily, for better communication. Our former design looked okay, but its information architecture wasn’t the best. It was difficult to know what was important. Since most of the information on it tended to look the same, everything seemed to blend together. With the new design, we can more easily feature the pages of our site that lead the visitor through a progression of commitments.
We also re-designed because it was time for a new look. Our brand has changed a little bit. We emphasize having a messy ministry, but our site wasn’t very messy to match, so this new “grungy” look with its fresh greens better captures our church’s personality.
The Design Details
It’s built on WordPress. I’ve been a WordPress developer for several years now and I’m an enthusiastic promoter of the platform as an excellent resource for churches (I even founded and later sold a site all about using WordPress for ministry). There are other great platforms out there, but I’m sold on WordPress for church websites for several reasons:
- It’s open source, which tends to reflect the values of our church’s culture.
- It’s free. You simply have to have a place to host the website (aff).
- It’s agile. As the social web changes, we can quickly adapt with it.
- It’s easy to use, even for people with no web design experience.
The design is based on the Moses Theme, by Mint Themes, but we’ve already gutted some of the theme’s core files, added and subtracted from the stylesheet, and have plans of converting the theme to a responsive design.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback, and I’d also greatly appreciate it if you’d like Grace Hills on Facebook, which would really help us spread the word about our ministry in northwest Arkansas.
Via BrandonACox.com.