YWG /
YWG /
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the largest organization in the country dedicated to the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and wildlife.
DUC has been at the forefront of conservation work for more than 80 years, and effective communications are crucial to its ongoing success. DUC wanted to expand its digital reach to deliver its perspectives and research to new audiences. The organization engaged Manoverboard to create a new strategy for building a series of sites to complement their existing web presence.
The Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (IWWR) is the research arm of DUC, where world-renowned scientists examine the complex relationships among the wetlands environment, waterfowl, watershed health and biodiversity. The institute’s scientists needed a place online that would advance ideas, news, reports, and research findings that would easily scale over time.
Awwwards
Honorable Mention
After several in-depth conversations with the national communications team and IWWR program leads, we developed a strategy brief that detailed the overarching brand, content, and technical framework for the site.
We identified five key audiences and developed personas to guide the content and design of the site. We mirrored the general look and feel of the primary Ducks Unlimited Canada site (borrowing some imagery and type styling) while creating a new platform that would demonstrate a confident and bold approach to the research.
Equally important, the website has a generous, thoughtful and dynamic presence that will not alienate scientists or turn away a layperson. We highly customized the site to meet the program’s content needs so that scientists and administrators can easily add, edit and manage content. Featuring large, photography-based visuals and sharp typography, the new site shows that conservation research can engage and inspire when communicated well.
The IWWR website received an Honorable Mention from Awwwards, a peer-evaluated design organization that recognizes some of the best web designers, developers and agencies in the world.
