Engaging an Online Learning and Teaching Community

The website is primarily focused on people who have previously visited the Temple in person. With that in mind, we lead with information on visiting either onsite or virtually and provide paths to take part in Temple activities.

We took a storytelling approach to attract new visitors, hinting at the Temple experience on the Homepage while helping frequent site visitors quickly access the information they seek.

There’s a lot happening at the Temple and we took a minimalist approach to presenting options, giving visitors just enough information to make choices without being overwhelmed.

The Temple staff needed to provide clear guidance on the pandemic policies and reopening plan they have in place. We integrated the solution with a strategy to encourage people to engage with teachings and events via the virtual temple. Unable to accept in-person donations, the engagement section ends with a ‘soft ask’ to donate.

In addition to the Temple history and the background on Sri Baba Hari Dass, the About page connects the Temple to the Mount Madonna Center (MMC), where the Temple rests, and gives site visitors access to a multitude of related MMC activities.

One strategic goal was to showcase Events and Teachings while also individuating them. While accessible from across the site, each has its own overview page that allowed for detailed organization.

This approach addressed the strategic goal of more opportunities to hear teachings by driving traffic to their YouTube page which had seen an increase in interest since the start of the pandemic.

We worked with Temple staff to articulate the story of the Temple’s creation and express the welcoming nature of the people and place. To go along with that message, we crafted messaging to inform people how to visit both in person and virtually.

The virtual Temple site uses an entirely new color palette, patterns, decorative elements, and photo style to create a unique identity and aesthetic. Our Brand Guide gives the staff everything they need to carry the brand forward into future site updates and collateral.

One subtle element is the background pattern we devised based on the Temple icon. Used sparingly across the site, it softens the divisions between sections on a page.

The temple is adorned with beautiful traditional writing and treasured items drawn from writings and classic yoga practices. We combined these with a delicate mandala pattern to anchor site sections and create unity.

All of the elements merge with the practical elements of the site, including buttons, Calls To Action, and links to events and teachings to create a singular experience.

We supplied a tool chest full of templates and assets to help expand the staff’s ability to execute on their communication strategy. It includes an email template, images and avatars for bios and visual identity across different platforms, a photo overlay style to use when posting updates or inspiring quotes over images, and instructions on how to use them effectively in their social media outreach