REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Website and Branding Services

WEBSITE SERVICES

Rationale
ArtsNL’s website (www.artsnl.ca) is seeking a developer/design partner to re-engineer ArtsNL’s website to be user-friendly and visually captivating, with seamless navigation and clear, concise messaging. The site must also incorporate the latest web technologies and enhance functionality. All integrated tools should enable the efficient delivery of content, requiring only basic technical skills and minimal staffing to maintain.

Target Website Audience

• Artists and professional arts organizations already familiar with ArtsNL, who currently receive funding or have availed of funding in the past and require reference resources.
• Artists and professional arts organizations who may be unfamiliar with ArtsNL and are seeking general information about the agency.
• Individuals and/or organizations interested in learning about potential funding options.

Objectives
Develop a versatile, informative, current website that is responsive across various devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. In addition to crafting a user-friendly site with an intuitive interface, ArtsNL requires the use of WordPress as a content management system—our current website uses WordPress and we do not wish to switch to a different CMS. We also aim to collaborate with a developer who can provide tools for optimizing SEO and facilitating social sharing.
 
To be effective, ArtsNL’s new website must be:

• Safe and secure
• Accessible
• Responsive and intuitive in its design
• Built using the WordPress CMS
• Quick loading
• Aesthetically pleasing

To meet ArtsNL’s goals the new website must:

• Improve engagement with current and potential artists and arts organizations.
• Allow for easy navigation of and access to ArtsNL’s funding programs.
• Serve as an ambassador for the ArtsNL brand.

Key Deliverables

• WordPress CMS with full admin access upon delivery
• Custom WordPress theme with responsive theme design
• Social media feed integration
• Pre-launch CMS training for staff
• Post-launch support
• Ongoing web retainer
• Renewable annual contract
• Biannual check-ins

BRANDING SERVICES

Rationale
ArtsNL is moving to a new branding identity and wishes to collaborate with a developer/design partner on the creation and launch of a new logo and branding assets that reflect the agency’s mission as a provincial arts funder. This rebranding will coincide with the website redesign as outlined in this RFP.
 
Brand Objectives

• Evoke a vision that is bold and positive.
• Distinguish the brand and increase recognition.
• Compel stakeholders to be ardent brand advocates.

 
Key Deliverables
ArtsNL seeks a visual identity and style to advance a progressive and cohesive look across all agency-related materials and media (e.g., print and digital). This includes:

• Full visual identity development
• Detailed brand standards and usage guidelines to drive brand consistency. These guidelines will include, but are not necessarily limited to:
  • Final brand logo files, fonts, and colour palette for use in print and digital formats
  • Design of brand identity template files for:
    • Banners and profile assets for social media
    • Social media post templates
    • PowerPoint slide deck templates
    • Email signatures
    • Business cards
    • Letterhead (Word and PDF formats)

• A separate branding component for the annual Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Awards, based on the visual identity and style outlined above. This component will be used in all promotional material for the Arts Awards and must be recognizable as being related to ArtsNL’s overall brand identity.

 
Selection Process
A committee of ArtsNL representatives will review the proposal—the primary document on which each Respondent will be evaluated—based on the following factors and listed in no order of significance:

• Completeness of the proposal (i.e., all details are considered and included)
• Delivery timeline
• Qualifications and experience of the Respondent
• Total cost of the project
• Understanding of ArtsNL’s objectives

 
Submissions must be made via email to melanie@artsnl.ca and received by 11:59 p.m. NT on Friday, December 1, 2023.
 
ArtsNL reserves the right to seek further information from, or clarification of, any proposal submitted in response to this RFP and is entitled to use any such information or clarifications in deciding which proposal it may accept, if any.