SoMaFusion :: travelogue

Quick word of caution when you are doing a website for any political candidate in the UK.

There are rules which are there for a reason.

Rules about publicity materials – also covering websites – can get your client in trouble if not followed. And when it comes to politics we are talking about serious trouble.

Speaking from experience I would always suggest that your first port of call is your candidate’s local Party people – they hold the ‘books’ as it where and I’ve always found them helpful.

Alternatively the three main parties at least have really good comms and campaigning departments who will help out.

Want to see an example? Check out the footer here.

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More information:
Electoral Commission website
Guidance for candidates and agents – Local government elections in England (pdf)

this entry on Friendfeed

Just a quick note but I can’t resist blogging about this.

I met with one of the councillors we are doing a website for today and I love it that he is so excited.

We are setting up a sandbox version to play around with the design, colours and contect soon and he has a million and one ideas.

It’s bliss when you are working with someone who is more excited about the project than you.

local election
Uploaded by pindec on 4 May 06, 4.06PM BST.

It’s no secret that I have a Public Affairs background and I am a bit weird when it comes to political communications (yes, I’ll put my hand up I do watch BBC Parliament).

That’s why I am ecstatic today. SoMaFusion just got a new project with three candidates in the UK local elections.

At the moment there’s not a lot I can share with you (seriously, there are Electoral Commission rules we are researching at the moment) but I really think that it really is worthwhile doing something related to local politics. Not that we would shun national *obviously* but local tends to be a lot more focused and a lot more personal, in a sense they have the ability to put you back in touch with what politics is all about if you get my drift.

I will update as the project progresses, for now we are in research and planning mode for requirements.

Just in case you are not familiar with the British way of doing things DirectGov has got a really clear entry on Local Councillors.

We are working on a pitch for someone creative these days (more details to follow – promise).

When dealing with a creative person (say for example a painter, a photographer, a singer, an actor) I think we all tend to go design crazy – just because we think it suits the identity of the product/ person. What we seem to be forgetting is that a website is not there for the client. It should be there for the user.

User – centered design is a phrase that I seem to be hearing from absolutely everyone these days (and I have to say that most work I’ve seen lately is very well- researched beforehand in terms of audiences and usability). However most comms and design studios – especially when dealing with clients that don’t have a lot of web experience – have the hard task of convincing their client that the user comes first.

I had this chat with Manolis – the other half of SoMaFusion – and we both think that a website is a tool and not a vanity project. It’s down to us to educate clients and help them understand their audiences and their needs.

Getting a bit cheeky as we were chatting I pushed him in the end to tell me what he would do if the client just refused to understand and pushed us for an over-designed website. “We can’t do that”, he said. “It’s not us. We do simple – smart – sensible. They should find someone else”.

Which pretty much explains why we work together.

Well, here is one of those projects we love doing. A Labour of Love.

Tommaso & Julia are getting married and they seem to have family and friends all over the world.

They wanted a simple website that included all of the details for the wedding, like travelling, hotels, driving instructions, tips on how to deal with drivers in Rome etc. They also wanted a way for all of their friends and family to see the pictures and videos without necessarily being on Facebook or any other social network.

We chatted a bit with them and here is what they needed.

• A simple and functional website that people of all ages with varying kinds of Internet access could navigate and understand.
• A password protected website which would allow them to upload personal details like phone numbers, addresses etc.
• Galleries for their photographs following the pre-wedding parties and the wedding itself.
• One page with all the details and advice for travelling, accommodation and locations – including maps.

Manolis thought about it for about 2 days, we did some drafts and worked with them on colours and structure.

I am sorry we can’t show you a lot from the website but their privacy is important.

I’ve uploaded the front page to our Flickr account – it should give you a good idea. I love how they chose olive green for their colour.

Tanti auguri from us!