I rarely write about my day job here in DC; I spend my time helping foundations and nonprofits communicate online. I launch Web sites, publicize existing ones, and give clients advice on how to build effective sites or re-design existing ones. My employer is Burness Communications, a 30-person public relations firm that works exclusively with nonprofits. (I’m delighted to be at Burness — I have smart, friendly colleagues, and our clients do interesting work.)
When I came back to DC in April after living abroad for two years, I re-joined Burness and took on the task of project managing the re-development of our new Web site, which just launched. I’m quite proud of it. I’m passionate about Web usability, and I think we did a good job of striking a balance between ease of use and attractive graphic design.
My job was to act as a liaison between Burness and the Web development firm that built the site, a DC outfit called iapps. (Technical note: the site is database-driven and is maintained using a custom content management system.) The graphical design was handled by Nicolette and Frans van der Lee of vanderleeMEDIA. If you’re looking for Web development or design, I enthusiastically recommend these two groups. And if you’re a nonprofit looking for communications help, look no further than Burness.
(Oh, and if you’re wondering what our old site looked like, you can see it here. I think you’ll agree our new Web presence is a vast improvement.)