To Write Love on Her Arms

From the beginning, it was clear this project would require as much compassion as it did innovation and vision. We spent a month in discovery, learning about the sensitive issues of mental health and TWLOHA’s mission. They wanted a site that served as a space for people to connect to resources for help and hope—people who are dealing with self-harm, depression, addiction and suicide. The site also needed to connect loyal supporters and potential donors with fund-raising opportunities and community engagement efforts.

Story created this organization, so it made sense to build the new site around a moving reading experience, a presentation that didn’t let a thing get in the way of the words. The typography-driven interface of the main section combines with well-organized meta-data to simplify searches, while built-in features like social media share buttons and anonymous commenting allow people to connect in ways that feel safe to them.

Amazed by the sheer number of people who embraced this movement, we knew we had to provide easy ways to encourage them to keep on giving. So, we built a way for TWLOHA to accept online donations and made sure it was easy to spot, a move that has already increased funds in major ways. We also created both a dynamic homepage that keeps users in the loop as well as an event page, with dynamically generated results pulled from Google Maps API.

Since merchandise is a big conversation piece for TWLOHA and keeps the organization afloat, we rebuilt the webstore within the limited structure of the Shopify platform, led by data from their existing store. We wove in elements from the main site to maintain brand consistency, though it retains its separate identity as an e-commerce site. The home page allows them to set hero images and showcase 24 products while a quick shop feature was built for, well, quick shopping. To enhance the customer experience, related items dynamically appear based on product tags. Finally, we created a way to direct visitors to the web store from the main site and gave it high visibility, too, a grand finale in a series of details designed to optimize participation and connection.

The heart of this organization beats in its vibrant community, which has adopted the new site with overwhelming enthusiasm. Now the hub for important conversations about TWLOHA, the site is bringing help and connection to those who need it most.