You know how you instinctively turn up the volume when you hear your favorite song?
That’s the idea behind a new crowdfunding platform by Arts United, called Amplify Art!
It’s a website similar to a local version of Kickstarter, where people and organizations can crank up the volume on their favorite creative ideas by raising support and awareness for them online.
Arts United came to us with the concept a few months ago, and we couldn’t wait to get started.
Northeast Indiana has been growing its arts scene for years now, and a crowdfunding platform that breaks down the barriers to traditional fundraising creates more opportunities for artists in our region.
It works like this. Artists and organizations submit ideas online, and then a special committee reviews the submissions and chooses projects to feature on the web page for funding twice a year, creating a community portal where anyone can sponsor art projects at the click of a button.
When it came to making the idea a reality, we added our own artistic touch and came up with a name that had a double meaning. Amplify Art! reminded us of the artistic expression in music, and it expressed the idea of promoting projects or making art louder.
Once we had the name, we wanted a logo and brand identity that worked well with Arts United’s existing marketing materials we created back in 2009, from the original logo and identity to the campus signage, website and print collateral.
So we developed a design that struck a balance between the organization’s business functions and artistic flair, using a comment bubble around the word “amplify” to show how a little chatter can boost ideas online.
After that, we created the web page where Amplify Art! lives. This is a single page where donors can contribute money from desktops or smartphones and where artists or organizations can share ideas. So it has to appeal to multiple audiences and make it easy for them to find what they are looking for.
Since projects are only active for funding 30-days during campaign sessions, they take priority. At the top of the page, each project has a short profile with a description and a progress bar where donors can track its funding.
Scroll past the active projects, and you’ll find more information about Amplify Art! and instructions to submit ideas.
Along with the webpage, we made marketing materials for Arts United and its partner organizations to spread the word.
Northeast Indiana is a creative place, and making more ideas a reality here is a great feeling—like rocking out to our favorite tunes.
Let’s make it loud.
