SPIRITUAL EDUCATION & WELLNESS CLIENT SUCCESS STORY
Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E.
Invigorating a 90+ year-old institution to help build a more inclusive future
ACTIVE 2022-PRESENT
Evolving an identity system and website to better serve and resonate.
Developed in 1931, Edgar Cayce and his supporters founded the nonprofit Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it’s been in operation ever since. It’s grown to provide body-mind-spirit resources to an international audience through its vast library, conferences, tours, regional activities, publishing, and study groups. Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. also maintains an affiliation with Atlantic University, the Cayce/Reilly® School of Massage, and an onsite A.R.E. Health Center & Spa at its Virginia Beach headquarters.
With that history, depth of services and international reach under a new directorship, Rev. Dr. Nicole Charles came to Red Chalk on a mission to revitalize an outdated identity system and their immense website to better serve and resonate with a diverse audience, and propel the brand forward.
Not a small task. But Dr. Nicole said she just knew we were the right people to take on this challenge.
Comprehensive Brand Identity System Development
Red Chalk gave Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. and all of its business units a contemporary identity system, designed with symbolism, clarity and visual impact.
To start, we were asked to incorporate the dove, olive branch and the idea of a cross in the emblem, all of which carry historic mandates. In addition, being a global entity must also be conveyed. Our solution not only successfully addressed all of those requirements, but gave the A.R.E. a modern symbol that reads well in full color, one color, large or small.
The wordmark and tagline are designed to have a friendly, forward-minded voice while reinforcing the organization’s naming conventions.
Along with the primary identity, we needed to account for a cohesive identity family system for business units within the A.R.E. and its affiliate organizations. It was important to maintain a connection among all entities, while distinguishing between those under the A.R.E. umbrella and those needing their own distinct emblem.
Website Strategies, Architecture, Design, Custom Build, Content Implementation and Management
With the primary goals of positioning the A.R.E. as a progressive and inclusive organization, driving more engagement by increasing event registration and membership, and improving the user experience overall, Red Chalk embarked on the monumental task of understanding the entire website ecosystem.
We first mapped the architecture of the original site that carried well over 400 pages and that suffered from years of growth, resulting in a cumbersome navigation system, ineffective conversion tactics and hard-to-find content.
Working with A.R.E.’s internal team, we reorganized and restructured the entire website architecture and identified our priorities for the new site that fell within budget and launch requirements.
Due to its size and complexity, we divided the migration into phases, focusing on the areas that are most frequently visited and in demand. In the coming year, we’ll be working on migrating content that remains on the legacy site.
Key elements and functions implemented on the new site include:
- Sidebar navigation that can easily handle the large number of sections and subsections
- Larger text formatted for easier reading and scanning
- Strong conversion strategies to encourage membership
- Strong emphasis on event management, streamlined event filtering and visual system, intuitive organization of on-page information and actions
- Built on WordPress, allowing for much easier client content management and growth management
We continue to work with the great folks at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E., building out and migrating the rest of their website content, and helping them reach and engage with their audiences around the globe.
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