Westport To Launch New Town Website

From the Town of Westport: First Selectman Jim Marpe announced today that the Town of Westport will unveil its new citizen-centric website this week. The new website, with the same address as the current one, www.westportct.gov, reflects the evolving needs of the community. By partnering with Granicus, the leading provider of website services for local government, Westport has built a more mobile-friendly platform offering icons and app-like features, as well as a streamlined menu of options that makes searching for information simple and intuitive.

The Town’s current website has been in use since 2011. Since then, there have been major changes in technology, including a tremendous increase in mobile device usage.

Mr. Marpe stated, “The Town of Westport website is both a tool for our residents and a platform to showcase our community attributes. It was time for Westport to offer a more user-friendly experience and modernize its imagery. The move to Granicus’ govAccess website platform is a reflection of the Town’s commitment to citizen-centric services. I am confident that the forward-facing technology will streamline processes and improve relationships with residents, businesses and visitors.”

To assist in the successful accomplishment of this project, the First Selectman assembled a Website Redevelopment Steering Committee (the “Committee”) that participated in the process by offering guidance and oversight from vendor selection through website implementation and roll out. The Committee included Town staff and local resident volunteers with expertise ranging from technology, design, economic development and community interests. Collectively, the Committee chose Granicus because of its user-friendly, intuitive content management system supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure and reliability.

As an adjunct to this work, a small team of strategic marketing and design professionals volunteered their time to support the design of the website and a refreshed Town brand identity. Members included the following residents:

• Miggs Burroughs, proprietor of Miggs B Design, co-founder of the Artists Collective of Westport, co-director of the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center and designer of the Westport Town flag, the Westport Public Schools logo and others.
• Rob Feakins, an award-winning advertising creative director. Rob is the former President and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis NY, the fifth largest ad agency in New York City and now the founder and creative director of For All Humankind, a marketing and film production resource for charities and causes.
• Randy Herbertson, Principal of The Visual Brand, brand innovation studio. He serves as WDMA President, is a Trustee of the Westport Library, and on the Board of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA)
• Jamie Klein has extensive experience creating and implementing marketing strategies. She has spent most of her career working for prominent Westport based marketing agencies. She serves on local charity, town and school committees, and her neighborhood association board.

This working group developed a new logo design which it supported with a "brand foundation" that identifies Westport’s unique position and assets and community ethos. Design concepts were created by the team, and a number of young area designers were charged with providing designs based on instructions by the website team and Town leaders. The chosen logo is a concept by Samantha Cotton, a young graphic designer who grew up and currently works in Westport. The new Westport logo integrates a dramatic use of open space in its iconography, reflecting the movement of water or seaworthy sails, and is a nod to the many artists who have called Westport home over the years. The color palate is vibrant and diverse, representing an open warmth and refreshing coolness.

According to Randy Herbertson, "As we developed the refreshed branding for Westport, our local assets and distinct positioning became very clear. We are very hopeful the launch of the new Town website will become an important asset for local, visiting and prospective residents and business owners."

A new page dedicated to Westport’s economic opportunities will be a digital home to Westport’s efforts to join its Fairfield County partner communities (the Fairfield Five) in economic development. The “Westport Economic Opportunity” page is a guide to the many resources that exist for business growth. It is both a business resource repository, as well as a marketing tool for the Town.

During the development process, a Town-wide survey was conducted that asked for input on what was most important to residents and businesses in a new website. The website team was also involved in the evaluation and testing process during planning and development. The Town will continue to accept feedback on the new site layout and the new logo at: webmaster@westportct.gov.