Does Good Design Matter?
The components of a political website aren't necessarily what we might call "good design." What is the science behind online design and the art of communication and persuasion? Is there room for god design in the utilitarian world of politics and governance, where a site's ability to bring in fundraising dollars is more valuable than whether or not it looks good?
Chair: Colin Delany, epolitics.com
Colin Delany is founder and chief editor of epolitics.com , a site that focuses on the tools and tactics of Internet politics and online political advocacy. He cut his political teeth in the early '90s in the Texas Capitol (where politics is considered a contact sport) and rode a couple of 'net-political startups into inevitable oblivion during the first Internet boom and bust. Since then, he's worked as a consultant to help dozens of advocacy campaigns promote themselves in the digital world, and is currently employed full-time as online communications manager at the National Environmental Trust. He also plays bass in a rock and roll band.
Todd Zeigler, The Bivings Group
Todd Zeigler, Senior Vice President of Client Services for The Bivings Group (TBG), oversees all of the client work performed by the firm and plays a key role in all of TBG’s business and product development initiatives.
In his time at The Bivings Group, Todd has helped manage online campaigns for the firm’s biggest political clients, including Friends of Fred Thompson, Governor Bobby Jindal, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In working with these clients and others, Todd has developed ambitious e-advocacy programs and custom Internet applications, helped manage crisis, and created and implemented online marketing strategies.
In addition to his work with clients, Todd also heads The Bivings Group internal product development effort. In that role, Todd manages the ongoing development of ImpactWatch, a revolutionary product that provides organizations with real-time intelligence that helps them shape their communications strategy. ImpactWatch is used by AMD and Hewlett-Packard,, among others.
Before joining The Bivings Group, Todd worked for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, where he helped run traditional outreach campaigns for clients including the Glass Packaging Institute and the American Forest and Paper Association. Prior to that, Todd interned in the press office of former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. He holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.
Margaux O'Malley, President, Grand Junction Design
Margaux graduated from Carleton College with a degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish. A year teaching and a year working in the (very much) for-profit sector made it clear that she needed to be doing something toward making the world a better place and championing such causes as affordable housing, human rights and saving the environment. In 1999 she took a job with Neighborhood Funders Group and started down that path, and since then she's worked with a variety of progressive groups to further these causes.
Her personal focus is on environmental sustainability. She enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors. In her family and in GJD, she makes every effort to consider the environmental impact of each action and decision, and to teach her children to do the same. She is President of Grand Junction Design (GJD), which was established to provide high quality web sites and printed materials for progressive nonprofits, associations and foundations, and groups committed to environmental sustainability. GJD is a woman-owned, family business whose staff includes specialists in graphic design, information architecture, Drupal development, and online communication strategy.
Susan Finkelpearl, Free Range
Susan blends communications strategy with emerging web technologies to transform client websites from static e-brochures into vibrant communities, where individuals gather and rally around issues they care about. She has led the development of information architecture, guided the web design, and planned the online promition of sites including American Jewish World Service, National Parks Conservation Association and Save the Children's Online Gift Catalog. Prior to joining Free Range in 2004, Susan racked up knowledge of today's most critical environmental and social issues as Communications Director at the Worldwatch Institute. Her passion for community involvement comes from her years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Slovakia, where she established a youth center, taught English, and assisted community foundations with strategic planning and fundraising. Susan is currently pursuing a Master's in communications with a concentration on digital technologies at The Johns Hopkins University.
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