Maryland State Arts Council

The Challenge

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) needed a brand new web platform to serve as a resource for Marylanders. Basically having an “Arts-one-stop-shop” for all their constituents; from arts and entertainment districts, to organizations and individual artists. Most notably they needed to directly grant artists access to highlight and sell their work.

See the MSAC website.

Research

idfive’s thorough Discover360 process uncovered the need to create a dynamic web application using a multitude of data sources, user roles, workflows, scenarios, and content types. We created streamlined experiences with the flexibility for integrated content like custom profile dashboards for organizations and artists, an interactive map of all arts in MD, etc.

Number of templates, including an arts registry.

Design

The site had to reflect the incredible diversity of the arts in Maryland with a visually arresting design and subtle, textural, illustrated backgrounds that touch on every genre of the arts. Infusing that with bold and modern design elements focusing on sensible layout of information made the site not only visually appealing, but practically enjoyable to explore.

Development

To create a seamlessly integrated web application, idfive’s development team engineered an elegant, joyful, and simple to use profile dashboard to allow artists across the state of MD to manage their content. They also custom-built several JS MVS applications that allow powerful browsing of art work in the directory.

1.8K

Profiles Migrated

To maintain the integrity of the content of thousands of profiles and their associated artwork, idfive migrated thousands of pieces of content from the previous CMS to a new one. That meant mapping and automating a migration of hundreds of fields from one platform to another.

Client Success

Undertaking a complex site like MSAC requires “structured flexibility” and a truly collaborative effort with the client team. Through wireframe, design, and development, the driving imperative was to create an impactful site that serves a wide range of constituents to promote the arts throughout Maryland.