When I was in the first grade, I was a Brownie. I remember two things clearly about that time: Brownie Camp and selling Girl Scout cookies. My grandparents were in town during cookie season that year and purchased an entire suitcase full of cookies! Cut to 25 years later when OakTree Digital asked me to help them with the redesign of the local Girl Scout council’s website. No, I didn’t receive cookies as payment!
Non-profits face many challenges when it comes to their online presence, ranging from lack of in-house technical experience to ancient websites. Girl Scouts Columbia River Council looked to OakTree for a complete redo: new information architecture, new content management system, new look and feel.
One challenge was to bring the CRC website in-line with the current Girl Scouts branding while still allowing it to feel as unique as the council is. The branding of the Girl Scouts has definitely changed since my time as a Brownie, focusing on a broader appeal to all kinds of girls, a “cool” photo-based campaign of hip-looking friendly kids, and of course a clear emphasis on delicious cookies. My goal was to design a friendly, easy to use website that would give CRC some room to grow and change over the next couple of years.
And of course, it’s always great to work on projects for girl-positive, community-focused organizations. With so many negative messages raining down on kids today, organizations like the Girl Scouts are increasingly important to help build confidence and positive self-images for young and teenage girls.
Thanks, OakTree, for including me in this project!