Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has become a pop culture phenomenon. Tapping into the universal interest in learning shark trivia and blending it with the high octane thrills of seeing divers in imminent danger, this has become an annual tradition for many viewers. Needless to say, it was quite the honour to be selected by The Discovery Agency to assist in the development of a permanent new website that would serve in conjunction with the televised event.
What was the challenge?
It’s always nice to be recognized for the work that you do. Over the course of the past three years my company, Forge and Smith, has slowly built a reputation based on our solid WordPress website development. On this particular project, we were sought out specifically for our custom theme development capabilities. With a design already in place, we were asked to streamline the content management process for Sharkopedia’s many contributors. From a content perspective, producers required a better way to add and update material on the site. With a launch date looming—and only a handful of weeks to complete the work—we assembled our dedicated team and got cracking.
What was the approach?
We set about reconfiguring the backend functionality from scratch.
Our clients may have been in a completely different time zone, but that did little to hinder the efficiency of our back-and-forth collaboration. They made the requests; we maximized our efforts to deliver the desired results. The custom interface we implemented began with a major reorganization of all the existing content blocks. In order to provide a CMS capable of being cleanly managed and clearly explained, we set about reconfiguring the backend functionality from scratch. Building a smarter system would ultimately result in fewer steps for individuals navigating the backend.
What was the result
This project was a huge undertaking for our team. The finished website has all the eye-catching visual flair originally conceived by the Discovery Agency’s team while including all the elegant behind-the-scenes touches demanded by our developers. Moving across the homepage is an exercise in user engagement, with an assortment of kinetic, colourful elements guiding visitors across the site. There is something to marvel at with every scroll. The finished website is loaded with information. Users are invited to lose themselves in the underwater domain of these ocean-dwelling wonders.
Next Steps
Is your business involved in content production? Do you wish to learn more about this website? Click below to view Forge and Smith’s Case Studies page where you will see the broad range of our work. I also invite you to experience the finished site firsthand. We love what we do and I think it shows.