Proud to Present: Doors Open Calgary

Our team at Strong Coffee recently launched a new website for a non-profit organization known as Doors Open Calgary. Doors Open Calgary (or Doors Open YYC) organizes an annual event that embraces the international concept known as “Doors Open Days” or “Open Days”. The occasion embraces opening the doors to buildings that would not normally be accessible to the general public. The Doors Open concept was initiated to generate enthusiasm and appreciation for heritage and contemporary architecture. The idea originated in England during the 1990’s and has since spread to other metropolitan areas around the world.

Opportunity

We were given the opportunity to design and develop a modern website for Doors Open Calgary to emphasize the event experience (ie. the selling point/unique proposition) as well as enhancing the general user experience of the website. There were various elements to the website project but some of the key areas of focus included:

Engaging with 3 primary audiences – visitors, volunteers and facilities/businesses
Defining and emphasizing the event experience
Identifying the locations/partners involved in the experience
Making it easy for visitors to plan their experience
Acknowledging those involved in making the event happen

Approach

We approached this website project initially by considering the objectives mentioned above, then by overhauling the entire look of the website to develop a clear view of what Doors Open Calgary is and why is it an event worth taking part in – primarily by creating a connection with the audience.

By incorporating the brand colours into the design and aligning the site with the brand in a distinct manner, we were able to convey the uniqueness of the event.

We prioritized the website and event’s key content elements to highlight what was most important to curious and interested website visitors based on defined personas, ultimately improving the online experience of patrons planning their facility visits.