The first page of a website is often referred to as the “home page,” a term that could prompt some reflection. What if building a website was similar to building a house?
First and foremost, we must expect the process to be somewhat lengthy and composed of many steps. Right from the start, we need to find an architect who possesses a wide range of technical as well as human skills, someone who can oversee the project from start to finish. We were fortunate to find Emmanuelle Jacomy, who has been with us from the beginning, offering her talents and a heart especially attuned to our congregation’s mission.
The next step is to carefully survey the terrain with the help of an initial team of Helpers. This involves mapping out a communal area near existing homes (current communication platforms within the Institute) while also identifying open spaces to explore.
Agreeing with the future residents (our Sisters) on the size of the “house” and its goals, as well as the audience it will serve, was the next step. This helped us reach a common definition of the project, culminating in a written plan (pitch and corporate identity).
External help is always valuable, and for us, it came through Pauline Barth, a consultant. Then, the actual construction began: deciding on a logo—no ordinary logo, but a unified one with 13 variations, something unprecedented in the logo world! Huge thanks to Quentin Van Oost, a designer at Keeo, for his graphic talents and boundless patience. We now have a unified logo and a graphic charter.
Next came building the structure of the site, designing various entry points, and drafting an extremely detailed brief. Special thanks to Ms Jacomy for outlining this document and patiently explaining it to our relatively inexperienced team!
Who would build the site (the walls, roof, and different rooms of the house, not forgetting the connections of the building to the outside world)? Once again, it took information gathering, discernment, decision-making, and finally choosing Keeo, a company we were already familiar with.
Finally, it was time to furnish the house—here, a number of texts were written by Tiphaine Malfait based on information provided by our Sisters, making space as well for many direct testimonies.
The house is now ready. May it be a place of life for those who visit, seek information, discover our traditions, and explore our projects. May it live and help others live. Welcome!