Irish Writers Centre

Irish Writers Centre has long positioned itself as a home for writers and literature in Ireland, having provided courses, information and resources since the beginning of the 1990s. Always keen to evolve and find new ways to connect with national and international audiences, the centre were eager to create a new digital platform, allowing them to expand beyond the limitations of their current e-commerce website. The requirements of the site were broad, so our primary goal was to deliver all as simply as possible, carefully re-organising content so to ensure all resources are easy to use and find.

The website includes a modified e-commerce system to sell and deliver an array of online and in-person courses, as well as take donations and manage memberships. The site offers exclusive content for members and those that have enrolled on courses.

A couple of years after the launch of the website, the organisation excitingly announced a refreshed brand identity, something that they’d be hoping to do for some time. As the site was satisfactorily serving all required needs, with all features still working as intended, our challenge was to roll out an updated theme for the website, preserving functionality but showcasing the new identity. This was done as efficiently as possible, reworking each element of the site as required. Some custom block layouts had to be updated, and core scripts amended, but we were able to achieve this predominantly through style updates, such as typography adjustments and colour changes, so to keep the project cost low.

We also guided the organisation through a restructuring of their membership, advising of any potential technical challenges and solutions. This included how best to offer an exclusive digital membership card, used to receive discounts in selected stores, and how to transition from the old membership packages to the new.

I could not recommend working with Hillside Agency highly enough. At every stage of development and design, Alex and the team at Hillside exceeded our expectations with their skill, professionalism, attention to detail, and creative thinking. They were incredibly helpful and accommodating throughout the process.

Laura McCormack / Communications Officer