AEGEE London
Branding & Web Design
January 2014 - June 2014
AEGEE (Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l'Europe), also known as European Student Forum, is an 'interdisciplinary student organisation' established in 1985.
AEGEE-London was a newish branch that was looking to start a regular activity in London.
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Accomplishments
I observed that AEGEE-London was in its startup stage and after identifying its particular needs, I have tailored the website accordingly:
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Relevant information for potential members and partners has been include
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I added sections to support the induction and motivation of members
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Automated processes have been incorporated for reducing the need of updates
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The use of cloud platforms has been broadened
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I have simplified the web structure to facilitate its management
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In order to accentuate the message, I have chosen to keep a discreet web format
You can find below further details, from the needs initially recognised -or brief- to the additional improvements designed during the project:
During this period I also made some changes in the AEGEE-London administrative structure, which can be seen in a separated project (link)
Brief
When I became in charge of the website I examined AEGEE-London to recognise its needs:
I observed that AEGEE-London was present on a number of platforms to make AEGEE-London known. This made the name of the association to reach a significant number of people, but it generated a considerable workload and it created a slightly inconsistent and unsound message.
Also, AEGEE-London was initiating contacts with potential partners, members and different universities to become a students’ union.
Based on this, I considered that it was essential to include relevant information about AEGEE, at the European and local level, to provide a clear image of the organisation.
Besides, I recognised that the web must have been appropriate for the resources of a newish established branch and simple to facilitate the knowledge transfer in the future.
Consequently, the ultimate goal of this project has been to add functionality to the website, observing the visual signs previously adopted or the platform housing the web (WIX).
The board approved all of these points and, accordingly, I implemented the following changes:
Noticeboard
The homepage was used as 'noticeboard' to offer in a glance the most relevant news in a briefly way, together with the corresponding links for further information.
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This page addresses people interested in the news of AEGEE-London but also facilitates the management of other platforms, such us twitter, because it contains all the information about the current AEGEE-London campaigns, and the perspective adopted.
What AEGEE does
The purpose of this page is facilitating the initial approach to potential partners and members, briefly summarising the principles of AEGEE.
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The concepts expressed have been taken directly from the AEGEE-Europe resources, being culturally adapted to the region and the market niche in which AEGEE-London is focused.
How AEGEE is organised
It is paramount to illustrate the importance and size of AEGEE, specially at this stage.
For this reason, I have added a special section explaining concisely how AEGEE is organised at the European level, and a map with the rest of AEGEE branches (or antennae).
The map and graphics are directly loaded from AEGEE-Europe resources and, therefore, are being updated automatically by them.
Now this page is also used during the induction of new members and in order to motivate them to participate in European projects.
Yes, but what about the London team?
Of course, I must not forget the London team: I created specific pages introducing them, their achievements and previous events, and facilitating a way to contact them directly.
Reducing the workload further
During the execution of this project, I have noted that some information was constantly sent in individual and meticulous emails. For instance, how to become an aegeean or the benefits of it.
I have incorporated specific pages with that consistently requested information, so now board members only need to provide the link to that page, if it is required.
Also, the updates of the data are automated as much as possible. For example, the local program is synchronised with the agenda that the board is using. Consequently, when any board member schedules an event, or makes any change to it, the details are shown automatically in the web.
Motivating and involving members
Now that we have a web that reach all the stakeholders, we cannot miss the opportunity of getting them involved in the group:
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I have created the AEGEE-London gallery in the platform Flick, which can be accessed through the web. Anyone can take a look at the albums, but also upload more pictures, add a comment, share or download them.
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In addition, more sections are being included to facilitate that different aegeeans interact among themselves.
