Client Roster::
Here are selected clients from the past year : National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Native American Telecommunications, Various American Indian Chambers, Notah Begay III, Smithsonian, National Museum of the American Indian, Native American Tax Alliance, Lucky Star Casino, Kiowa Casino, First Nations Composers Institute plus numerous tribes.

Case Studies::
NACDI: www.nacdi.org
Giving an existing site a refreshing overhaul in look, feel, branding, and functionality.

Client: Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI)

Background: The Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) is an American Indian intermediary organization – the first of its kind in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The organization is configured as an alliance of the major Indian nonprofits and several Indian businesses in the metropolitan area committed to community-building through sector economic development and large-scale development. Foremost in our transformation plan to develop a new community infrastructure is to build community capacity and assets within high growth economic sectors.

The existing NACDI website was in need of a redesign and communication strategy. It was clear that the organization had outgrown the look, branding, messaging, and features of a mostly brochure-style website. NACDI wanted a site that brought them into the 21st Century and reflected the progress the organization has made and continues to make. They wanted a new approach to communication using new social technologies. They also wanted the ability to update and maintain content on their own.

Process: We set up the new NACDI site on the open source content management system called Mura CMS. Mura provides the flexibility the organization needs to update and maintain content on its own while providing a myriad of features. Some of the standout features include several easy-to-add galleries, a blog, a news section, an events calendar, various content blocks that can be used like server side includes (the news section behaves in this way), and navigation that automatically builds out when new pages or sections are added. We also created templates for their newsletter mailer through constant contact that allows them the ability to communicate with the membership and general public. This helps them track their campaigns and allow them to make changes to their messages as needed.

For the look and feel, NACDI wanted something that had one foot in the traditional and one foot in the modern. We took most of the color scheme of the original site and NACDI logo, like the prominent maroons and purples, and used gradients to give the colors more depth. We eschewed the cream color of the old site and replaced it with various shades of gray for the body content areas which seem to better complement the rest of the color scheme. Contemporary interpretations of some traditional symbols make up the background in various levels of opacity so as not to overshadow text and other content.

We also included a Flash slideshow that navigates to and spotlights a few areas of the site. The slideshow brings life to the site without overpowering the rest of the content. It serves a purpose rather than being there for mere decoration.

Native American Public Telecommunications: www.nativetelecom.org
Creating a centralized portal for independent media contributors to share their work with peers, fans, and other industry leaders.

Client: Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT)

Background: NAPT already had a website but it was clear that it was in dire need of an upgrade. Various links were broken, pages and navigation weren’t organized in an intuitive, logical manner, artwork was dated, and it no longer could grow with the features that NAPT desired. Their three main areas, NAPT Resources, AIROS Audio, and Vision Maker Video were disconnected; appearing to be completely different sites and unrelated.

NAPT asked us for a website where independent filmmakers, composers, directors, writers, musicians, and other media artists could connect with each other and share their works with peers, fans, and other interested users. The site was to house NAPT’s three sub-sites, AIROS Audio, NAPT Resources, and Vision Maker Video. Regular listeners and users, as well as content Producers would have the ability to create their own profiles and post their own comments, blogs, and embedded files such as video. Vision Maker Video is there eCommerce store where DVDs of public television programming can be purchased for home or educational use.

Process: We built a site that houses all three sub-sites AIROS Audio, NAPT Resources, and Vision Maker Video. The homepage acts as a portal page that establishes the three areas as being related and a part of the overall NAPT brand and vision.

Built in Drupal, we used a common color scheme to tie the three sub-sites together while creating some distinction by designing unique logos for each. While navigating one sub-site, a user is not far away from accessing the other two thanks to the common footer navigation panels that appear on every page that cross-link into all the main areas.

Users must register to become active participants and content contributors and to access the ability to leave comments, post blogs, embed videos, and create profile pages. Accessing certain funding applications are also only available to those who register.

NVisionIt www.nvisionit.org
Creating a fresh, bold look and feel for an organization dedicated to the education of Native youth and the preservation of art, culture, and expression; a platform that allows more user interactivity and administrator ease.

Client: NVisionIt.org

Background: The original NVisionIt website was in need of an upgrade in design and functionality. While the site accomplished the task of providing information, it didn’t quite embody nor reflect the bold, artistic, and youthful vision of its target users.

We were approached to liven up the look and feel and to usher the site into the Web 2.0 arena. NVisionIt’s mission is to develop Native youth leadership and to foster the growth and continuation of traditional and contemporary expressions of Native art, culture, education, and media.

We took this mission to heart with our approach to design and functionality.

Process: We felt that bold, bright colors and graffiti-inspired graphics would really speak to NVisionIt’s core demographic. The banner draws visitors in and embodies the ideas and concepts of art, expression, and exuberance. The manual scrolling slideshow also draws visitors in. NVisionIt can fill this area with event photos, contributor photos and bios, and even artwork samples.

We felt that the site needed more user interactivity so we built it in Wordpress. Administrators can easily keep the site’s content fresh and new and keep their visitors informed of the latest activities, events, and opportunities without getting tied down in code. On the flipside, users can stay informed and actively contribute by commenting on posts.

We also integrated facebook, myspace, twitter, and flickr icons that link/will link to NVisionIt’s accounts on those various spaces.

Various American Indian groups, non-profits, and other organizations.
Visual design, branding, and messaging for a community and its people.

Clients: A few examples include the Native American Rights Fund (NARF: www.narf.org), Standing Rock Nation, and the Native American Tax Alliance.

Background: Many of our clients approach us to create original artwork and logos for very specific events. Sometimes these are one-time events and other times these are regular, annual events held in either the same or different communities.

Our original designs are then printed on a myriad of products and materials including but not limited to posters, brochures, fliers, pamphlets, postcards, business cards, t-shirts, tote or messenger bags, and more.

Approach: We begin with information-gathering. We gather specifics about the upcoming event such as its theme and core message, its geographic location, and the community in which the event will be hosted.

From there, we continue the research process by studying the iconography of the given community or tribe. We identify common and recurring themes, and their meanings.

While not bound by tradition, we value its influence. We strive to incorporate hints of community symbols with modern images. We determine what traditional symbols can respectfully be utilized, customized, and integrated with our final design. Part of our goal is to make it appear as though members of the community created the artwork.

Our final imagery pops with the use of thick, bold lettering and outlines along with simplified yet eye-catching color palettes. We aim to make our designs look as great on a poster as they do on a t-shirt, and everything in between.

Final touches include the date, time, and place of the given event as well as the name of the event. In many cases, a slogan is added that is discussed and agreed upon with our client.

Once the client has given final sign-off on the design, we begin printing.

More samples of our work::