Aside from all the technical issues the team was having managing an old WordPress website that was out of date and regularly hacked, the team needed a fresh website that could help them manage their subscriptions digitally, ease their marketing efforts, and most importantly, live up to the beauty of the magazine they publish monthly.
We transitioned the site to Webflow from WordPress allowing the team to add new content whenever they need, grow as the artist base grows, and implement a CMS back end that would allow them to add new issues to the site each month and make the issues fully searchable.
We also found a subscriber management service that we could easily integrate with the website that frees up the ED to focus on big picture directives rather than constantly updating subscribers' information in physical form from his house!
Highlighting the magazine.
Hand Papermaking Magazine releases a new issue each quarter, and they really wanted to highlight the latest issue and the most recent issues. They also wanted to feature their latest news and events so their patrons could see what the organization is up to (besides just creating an incredible magazine!).
Online subscription management.
We integrated the website with an online subscription management service called SimpleCirc that allows users to subscribe directly and manage their own subscription online. Previously, subscriptions were managed manually by the ED. We integrated the site styles with SimpleCirc to make the experience as seamless as possible for subscribers.
Comprehensive search.
Since the magazine is archived by many university libraries, it was important that each article in every issue is searchable via the website search. By including full descriptions of each issue and all the articles that are featured in each issue, we were able to create a comprehensive database of topics and keywords that can be used by researchers to find specific issues related to their work.
E-Commerce integration.
These paper portfolios are limited in quantity, but include paper samples from hand papermakers around the world. These are a big ticket item for the organization, and previously, purchasing them was a difficult task. It required directly contacting the ED to request a portfolio, mailing a check, and waiting for the delivery. Through SimpleCirc, they are now able to sell their portfolios direct to consumers via the website, as well as highlighting the beautiful paper samples that are included in each portfolio.
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