Columbus Square Park
Overview
Columbus Square Park, a neighborhood green space in South Philadelphia, needed a digital presence that would both support its fundraising efforts and serve local residents. The goal was to build a site that communicated park news, showcased upcoming events, and shared community photos — all in a way that was engaging and easy to maintain
Goals & Challenges
- Support Fundraising: Create a digital platform that highlighted the park’s upcoming fundraising campaign.
- Serve the Community: Make essential information (events, news, gallery) easy to find and interact with.
- Flexible Build: Use a content management system that allowed easy updates by non-technical park staff.
- Design Restraints: Work within the limitations of an existing WordPress theme while adapting it meaningfully for the client’s needs
This project demonstrates how I customized the InCare WordPress theme using CSS. I created a child theme to adapt the design to my client’s needs. Use the slider to compare the original theme with the final customized version.
Approach
- Theme Selection and Customization
- Chose the InCare WordPress theme as the foundation due to its relevant functional features.
- Built a child theme to preserve original theme updates while customizing styles and layouts.
- Used CSS adjustments to tailor the design to match the park’s identity and content priorities.
- Ensured the homepage hero image captured a local feel — a photograph taken along Broad Street that reflects the community’s character
Content Strategy
- Structured the site to prioritize park events, fundraising information, and visual storytelling through a photo gallery.
- Designed clear navigation paths to help visitors find event details and community updates quickly.
- Focused on simplicity and clarity rather than complex interactive features, ensuring visitors of all ages could use the site easily
Design Execution
- Worked within the theme’s framework to maintain cohesive typography, color palette, and spacing.
- Custom CSS was applied to enhance visual hierarchy and improve readability.
- Strategic use of images added personality and a strong sense of place to the digital experience.
Outcome & Learnings
Although the site is no longer active, the project delivered a web design that met the initial goals for accessibility, community focus, and simplicity. The use of a WordPress child theme and targeted customizations demonstrated how off-the-shelf solutions can be adapted effectively for localized needs, especially when content must be updated regularly by non-developers
Key takeaways included:
- Balancing simplicity and function is essential when designing for community groups with varying technical skills.
- Flexibility in CMS choice allows organizations to self-manage content after launch.
- Authentic visual content, like local photography, strengthens emotional connection with users and reinforces local identity