How do you make a website that celebrates diversity but still offers a bottom-line perspective?
“Ultimately, diversity success comes down to strong leadership across all levels of an organization. Coda Leadership works with our clients and partners to help identify and share the best practices for integrating forward-thinking leadership and social impact in ways that improve the bottom-line.”
- Todd Sears, Founder and CEO, Coda Leadership
A Coda, not a Quota.
Two years ago Todd Sears started building Coda Leadership based on his experiences on Wall Street both as a banker and as a diversity leader. The initial website reflected a singular approach of the founder of Coda Leadership. As Coda Leadership expanded its vision and staff, the messaging and visual marketing of Coda needed to change. Todd wanted Coda Leadership to be much more than just his personal website. Instead of representing one consultant, the website needed to demonstrate the Coda “way of doing business.”
Coda Leadership is a strategic advising firm that helps companies move diversity and leadership beyond traditional programs and integrate it into business objectives. A diversity strategy is not about quotas and checklists. It’s about creating a workforce that respects all people and attracts the best talent. As Steve Salbu, dean of Georgia Tech’s Scheller College told The Wall Street Journal, “Talent is a scarce commodity and if you’re going to attract the best talent, you better be welcoming to people regardless of gender, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of sexual orientation.” Coda Leadership approaches diversity practices as long-term, measurable and sustainable business drivers.
Designing a Diverse Website That Means Business
How do you make a website that celebrates diversity but still offers a bottom-line perspective? First, the content was re-organized to highlight the Coda Leadership services in a manner that was more in keeping with what the client needs. Key messaging is shown in opening slides with links to more details encouraging the users to dig deeper as they become more engaged in the subject matter. Part of the challenge is identifying the key offerings and providing compelling content that won’t scare away busy clients or prospects.
Want to see the new Coda Leadership site? Click here.
Design Choices for Coda Leadership
We selected a bright color palette and placed it against a white, open background to create a distinctive look for Coda Leadership that is far from being stuffy or typical for a consultant. The imagery is multi-colored to reflect Coda’s multi-cultural and inclusive philosophy. We got rid of the photos and used illustrations and the simplicity of well-organized content to tell the Coda story. Todd challenged us to avoid using photos of people. “They never look like real people working together. It’s predictable. We want progressive.” Instead, we used abstract illustrations to convey the concept of diversity.
The Out on the Street Success
The Coda website needed to build upon the success of the Out on the Street while establishing a distinctive brand for Coda Leadership in its model of LGBT leadership summits, Out Leadership. Out on the Street is the inaugural Out Leadership program, with summits held annually on three continents. The program has garnered the attention of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who said, “The inaugural Out on the Street summit . . . is an exciting opportunity to . . . advance the rights of LGBT individuals in the workplace and beyond, and to underscore why this issue matters for the industry.” Coda Leadership proudly runs the Out Leadership conferences but needed to establish a distinctive brand that emphasizes the strategic advising services being offered to business leaders beyond the scope of the conferences.
A Successful Launch
Initial reaction to the new Coda website has been powerful. Lia Parifax, COO at Coda Leadership said, “We are very pleased with the outcome, the design balances corporate professionalism with the progressive values inherent in the way Coda approaches business. We have received excellent feedback, as clients really like the tone, organization and content of the website. Our analytics are showing many repeat visitors who stay on the site for substantial periods of time, rather than quick or on-off visits.”
Want to see the new Coda Leadership site? Click here.
