The Secret Labs’ Web Design Portfolio

Client

Presbytery logoPresbytery of Genesee Valley - An organization of 73 Presbyterian churches in Rochester, NY and the surrounding five counties.

Contact

Associate Executive Presbyter

Involvement

The Secret Labs designed and hosts the Presbytery web site, and we are under annual retainer to perform twice-weekly content updates.

Launched

  • Current design launched July 2005
  • Previous redesign in April 2001

About the Site

Presbytery’s site is more about the business of the church, rather than the mission of the church. As such, it has a clean, uncluttered, businesslike feel. It’s easy for leaders—and those of its 73 churches—to find and use the information needed for the smooth running of church affairs.

Equally important, is the directory which helps prospective churchgoers find a church near them.

Working from space in the client’s office lets us collaborate more fully with leadership, staff and whoever happens to drop by. This close, interactive work with the client has produced a site that has everyone pleased.

Even while still in development, this redesign began garnering unsolicited praise from nationwide church leadership:

“Your new website has a great new clean and fresh look. Great work!”—Stafford Fredericks, Office of the Stated Clerk, Synod of Southern California and Hawaii

Their specific requests were:

  • Uncluttered, but not bland look and feel
  • “Lightweight” for fast loading with traditional phone modems
  • Must work well with older computers and smaller screens
  • Easy navigation
  • Provide for electronic document distribution
  • Increase traffic
  • Increase utility and usability

The target audience is:

  1. Presbytery leadership—Committees, presbyters, staff, officers
  2. Pastors and elders of member churches
  3. Congregation members
  4. Prospective churchgoers

Features

  • Uses standard-compliant XHTML for structure and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for look and feel, making future redesigns quick, easy and inexpensive.
  • Separate stylesheet for printing saves ink by supressing menus and those parts of the page not relevant on paper, and by using color only for images.
  • Travel Blog for leaders to report back from conferences, seminars and mission trips
  • Forum to facilitate online discussions
  • Photo Gallery to distribute images for non-traditional, “new media” worship, as well as to share photos from Presbytery events
  • Watermark background graphic adds color without clutter

Still to come

  • Interactive calendar for individual churches to post their events
  • Integrate new design with blog, forum and photo gallery
  • Online catalog of the Resource Center’s lending library