VCEDC About Us Page Redesign
Overview
During the October 2025 website review meeting, the About Us page underwent significant content and layout planning. Kathy Schmitz provided substantially expanded copy to replace the existing placeholder text, requiring a rethink of the page's structure to accommodate the new material without a full redesign.
Related client: [1]
Related meeting: [2]
Content Strategy
What's Changing
The existing About Us copy was described as "old copy that's been there forever" that didn't adequately communicate what VCEDC does or who they are. Kathy provided new copy covering:
- Full name and identity: "Vilas County Economic Development Corporation" (spelled out, not abbreviated)
- VCEDC's role as the only Vilas County nonprofit of its kind
- A "Snapshot of Our Impact" section, including positioning Vilas County as a broadband destination
- Additional organizational background
The new copy was delivered via email and added to the project tracking spreadsheet (under item #3, About Us).
What's Staying
- Mission and vision statements — confirmed to remain at the top of the page; these are considered core to the About Us identity
- Existing photo (the "love where you live" image) — Kathy expressed preference for keeping it; the header above it will be removed but the photo stays
What's Being Removed
- Business support sections (e.g., one-on-one business support, the three banner photos) — identified as duplicates of homepage content; removing them frees up space and reduces redundancy
Layout Approach
The agreed structure for the revised page:
- Mission and vision statements — retained at top, no changes
- New About Us copy — added below the mission/vision block; page will extend in length as needed
- "Snapshot of Our Impact" section — replaces a removed section; sourced from the new Word document Kathy provided
- Existing photo — retained without its current header text
- Donate button — to be added to the page
The page will likely be longer than the original design anticipated. This was accepted as preferable to truncating the content or adding sub-pages.
Photo Considerations
- Vanessa's lake photo — discussed moving it lower on the page or to another location (potentially the broadband page, if not already there)
- The "woman with laptop by lake" image was confirmed to belong on the Broadband page, not About Us
Open Items
| Item | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Review new About Us layout once built | Kathy | Pending — after vacation |
| Confirm Vanessa's lake photo placement | Melissa / developer | Pending |
| Verify broadband page has correct laptop-by-lake image | Melissa | Noted |
Process Notes
- Melissa is holding off on sending About Us updates to the developer until Kathy has reviewed the layout — the page has enough structural complexity that premature builds could waste effort
- All other pages with finalized content and images are being sent to the developer in parallel
- Copy finalization across the full site is planned for after the developer has built out the updated pages
Key Decision
Keep mission and vision at top. Add all new copy below. Remove duplicate business support sections. Page length can grow. Do not send to developer until Kathy reviews post-vacation.