When BHV first met with the team at Teen Feed, we looked at their existing website and discussed what was working and what wasn’t. Teen Feed needed additional functionality that would allow them to easily edit the content themselves and keep the messaging fresh. They also wanted to create a blog so that they could keep readers up-to-date on the organization’s work and latest events.

Based on all the input, BHV recommended building Teen Feed’s new site on the WordPress platform. WordPress is a powerful technology that is free and highly customizable. Not only does it function as robust blogging software, but it can also be implemented as a content management system (CMS) for building out a complete website with pages set in a hierarchy of sections. What’s more, a huge community of developers is constantly building thousands of plugins and widgets that add new exciting functionality to WordPress sites.

BHV Design Lab worked diligently to create a design that would resonate with not only the youth that Teen Feed supports, but with the community of volunteers, donors and advocates that would also be visiting the site. Urban images captured by photographer, Christine Unten, were used as background images, lending interest, texture, and a fresh youthful perspective to each page. To create a balance with these highly-textured background images, we opted to layer a clean white page over each background image so that the content could shine through clearly and make an impact. On each page, we included Teen Feed’s tagline of “Offer, Build, Ally” to encourage click-throughs to reinforce the organization’s mission. We also included a Donate Now button so that readers could easily make an on-the-spot donation to Teen Feed.

In addition to the site design and development, BHV Design Lab also guided Teen Feed with developing a social media strategy with a presence on both Facebook and Twitter. BHV also designed an e-newsletter template that aligns with the look of their website and helps them keep in contact with their community of volunteers and donors.

Since its debut, teenfeed.org has received many compliments and continues to work almost as hard as the organization’s staff and volunteers. Teen Feed’s executive director, Megan Gibbard, had these kind words to share about her experience with BHV Design Lab:

“BHV Design Lab brought Teen Feed into the current age! Before our website redesign, Teen Feed had an out-dated and flat website. The information was difficult to access and the website didn’t invite in potential donors or volunteers…The new site is easy to navigate, easy to update, modern, and welcoming. It communicates a nice balance of the young nature of the work we do with teens as well as the professionalism of our agency.”

BHV Design Lab thanks Teen Feed for the opportunity to collaborate. Keep up the good work!

Want to learn how BHV Design Lab can help you design and build a website that conveys your mission and keeps you connected to your audience? Contact us today.

Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” book series has brought the town of Forks and the rest of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula into the spotlight. It’s a true success story of how tourism can reinvigorate the economy of even the smallest, and often most obscure, destinations. Since the saga captured the hearts of the public through both the best selling books and popular movies, Forks has seen an influx of tourists (often referred to as Twilighters or Twihards) seeking a taste of “Twilight”.

Recognizing this new found phenomenon as an opportunity to draw even more visitors to the area, Washington State Tourism got to work launching a “Twilight in Washington” feature web page with details of the area and tips on where to see the sights. They turned to BHV Design Lab to design a road trip map, available free for download from their official experiencewa.com site.

At BHV, we love making maps, so we jumped right in. Our design features an all-over view of the Olympic Peninsula with cities, major roads, ferry connections, and sights along the way, as well as detailed views of Forks, La Push and Port Angeles. And, of course, the map marks such popular spots as the “treaty line”, the “vampire baseball field”, several “werewolf spotting” sites as well as the Bella Italia restaurant in Port Angeles, and the Dazzled by Twilight souvenir shops.

This project is a great example of how a cost effective design can drive interest and develop tourism for a destination with a story to tell. BHV Design Lab provides strong solutions that engage customers and offers brand connections for real results. Interested in how we can help your destination or business? Let’s connect!

In our eight years of business, BHV Design Lab has steadily gravitated toward clients in the travel, tourism, hospitality and entertainment industries. So when the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) needed to create a guide to spotlight some of its restaurants, bars, and entertainment and sports venues, it seemed like a perfect fit.

The first edition of the guide was to be handed out to attendees of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce convention to help them navigate the city during the conference. We opted to keep the piece small—so it could easily fit into a purse or pocket. We also included a map, logos and brief descriptions to give readers a sense of each venue’s personality and location.

In the end, the clean, simple, low-cost piece was declared a smashing success. Attendees used it like a travel bible to guide them right where they needed to go. In fact, the piece was so well received, the GSBA has decided to update the guide several times a year to hand out to all out-of-town guests who need to get pointed in the right direction.

Thank you to the GSBA for the opportunity to collaborate on the Out & About Guide. We look forward to finding new ways to make the piece work even harder for the GSBA and all the fantastic venues they represent.

If you need a highly specific image (or group of images) that is 100% unique to your brand, a professional photoshoot is the answer. But if you’re willing to make a few consolations, you can save considerably by using a stock photography agency. These comprehensive image libraries contain millions of affordable photos that are submitted by photographers and classified into two categories: Royalty-free and rights-managed.

Royalty-free images are typically the least expensive, most flexible option. Once you pay a flat-fee, you can use the image multiple times and for multiple purposes. Fees are based solely on image size and resolution—some images are actually free. The downside is that anyone who pays the flat fee can use the image. So the image is not uniquely your own. However, a clever designer can adjust the image or use it in a non-conventional way, making it nearly as effective as a custom photo.

The fees for rights-managed images, on the other hand, are based on usage, distribution, size, and duration of the campaign. Though generally more expensive, the license for these quality images limits how many times and in what way the image can be used, so there’s less of a chance that the image will be overused in the marketplace. In fact, sometimes it’s possible to gain exclusive usage rights for a rights-managed image.

If you have questions about the type of stock photography to choose for your next project, we’re here to help. Just send an email to connect@bhvdesignlab.com.

Mid-July in Sequim reminds us why this Washington State Olympic Peninsula town has earned the title “Lavender Capital of North America”… the lavender’s in full bloom, fields and fields of it!

BHV Design Lab was thrilled to partner with the Sequim Lavender Growers Association a second time to design their promotional campaign for the 13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival. We created multiple elements, including a commemorative poster, the festival’s brochure and flyer, magnets and buttons. The main focus of the campaign is the commissioned water color painted by local artist Pat Tayton. Each piece was designed to highlight the artwork and effectively promote the festival as a must-see event.

The festival is the largest lavender event in North America with seven beautiful farms on tour as well as a fantastic street fair, making it like eight festivals in one. Visitors have a chance to not only see the dozens of varieties of lavender, but also learn techniques for cultivating, harvesting and drying lavender through u-pick offerings, work-shops, and demonstrations.

The Sequim Lavender Festival takes place July 17-19, 2009 in Sequim, Washington. For more information, visit the festival website at www.lavenderfestival.com.

13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival Poster

Like ripples on a pond from a thrown pebble, a rough paper surface can blur an image. The smoother the finish of a paper’s surface, the more balanced the reflection of light will be, resulting in a sharper, more vibrant print. If a paper is rough or uncoated, light scatters, creating a dull or washed-out surface. A solid black on an uncoated paper, for example, will look grey rather than a rich dark black. In addition, an uncoated paper will absorb more of the ink, like a paper towel cleaning up a spill. The image becomes dull and lines become fuzzy.

Please don’t think that uncoated papers are all that bad. If a design’s intention is to be soft or tactile, an uncoated sheet might be the way to go. For example, an uncoated stock can be warm and inviting, while a coated paper can sometimes feel impersonal or cold. The good news is that there are plenty of surfaces to choose from, each with a varying degree of smoothness.

Got any questions or something you’d like to see featured? Go ahead and leave a comment, we’d love to hear from you…