Echode is an interactive documentary project that blends multimedia storytelling, historical and cultural documentation, and community engagement to explore associations between identity and place. At the center of the project is a free, open-source web platform for hosting photos and sharing stories. The platform is currently under development, with the full release scheduled for mid 2016.
In addition to co-founding Echode, I designed all aspects of its visual identity, including an extensive typography system, stationery, and marketing materials. Because Echode is a nonprofit funded by grants, branding had to be executed on a tight budget. For this reason, I selected Fira Sans, Mozilla's open source font family. This has proven to be a great choice—due not only to its cost (free!) but also its wide range of styles and weights, and seemless integration with digital applications.
Site Design and Development
Echode is built on top of Omeka, a free, flexible, and open source web-publishing platform for the display of library, museum, archives, and scholarly collections and exhibitions. I designed and developed a clean, modern theme to reinforce Echode's visual identity and encourage user engagement.
I used rapid prototyping and continuous deployment to respond to user feedback, fix bugs, develop new features, and extend existing ones. Since the platform's launch, user registration and engagement has grown continuously.
