Redesigning the Seal Sitters website was an opportunity to combine my passions for protecting wildlife and sustainable, web design for a local grassroots nonprofit.
Seal Sitters is a volunteer-driven marine mammal stranding network that protects harbor seals and educates the community about wildlife on West Seattle's beaches.
Seal Sitters
Details
Strategic design for sustainable impact
THE CHALLENGE
Seal Sitters needed a new website, as theirs had become unmanageable — built on an old platform that was impossible for volunteers to maintain, it wasn't serving community needs.
They needed a more modern, accessible & sustainable website solution, built with a community-first approach.
Before:
Outdated website that needed specialized technical knowledge
MY PROCESS
As Creative Director on this project, I led the process of transforming their digital presence while coordinating a diverse team of volunteers.
In addition to curating content & photos, I designed systems to gather input, created feedback processes and established direction to keep this complex project moving forward.
Innovative tools like Pastel collect feedback from multiple stakeholders
The transformation:
a modern & accessible design
I streamlined a website of 50+ pages into 8 focused, user-friendly pages while coordinating content & photo submissions from multiple contributors.
AFTER:
Beautiful, user-friendly website that reflects Seal Sitters' mission
Modern design reflecting their mission & legacy the community
Mobile-optimized experience with a responsive, more accessible design
Streamlined content including resources for encountering wildlife
Sustainable new platform, built on Squarespace to empower volunteers to make updates
KEY UPDATES:
BRAND REFRESH
While we didn't have the budget for an in-depth brand refresh, I updated their visual identity with a refreshed logo and modern typography.
A vibrant, ocean-inspired palette and sea themed illustrations bring an organic touch to the site.
FUN & EDUCATIONAL
An interactive accordion feature creates a fun, user-friendly way to present educational content.
Visitors can expand sections to explore detailed information about marine mammals without overwhelming the page layout.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
The new website serves the community better: beach visitors can quickly find guidance when they encounter wildlife, potential volunteers can discover ways to get involved, and visitors can learn more about marine life in Puget Sound through educational content & resources.
Loom tutorials provide step-by-step video guides for website updates
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Volunteers can now easily update the website, built on Squarespace’s user-friendly platform.
I created training materials to empower volunteers to maintain the website, including documentation guides and video tutorials.
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