2024 saw many changes and transitions at Bounce Innovation Hub. The organization launched a brand-new strategic plan in September, welcomed Akron Coffee Roasters into the space, and completed a major expansion to The Generator coworking space on the second floor. More than just subtle tweaks and ordinary additions to the organization, these moves signaled a need to examine Bounce’s brand and look closely at the way people interact with it.
Aside from walking through the front doors of the building on 526 S. Main, one of the most common methods of interacting with Bounce is through bouncehub.org. The website, a virtual front door in its own right, was at risk of being outpaced by the changes taking place within Bounce and its community. Seeing an opportunity to correlate the updated “Bounce 2.0” framework with an appealing, accessible, and authentic new website, the Bounce team got to work to determine what that would look like and how it would be achieved.
The team created a Request For Proposal (RFP) detailing the aspects and features this new website would need to serve Bounce’s dynamic audience of forward-minded entrepreneurs. Some features requested were the result of feedback taken from visitors of the old website, and nothing was off the table to provide the best user experience possible. Through a rigorous process, Bounce landed on the Cuyahoga Falls-based marketing & advertising firm TRIAD. TRIAD boasts an impressive resume encompassing websites, graphic design, and marketing campaigns for a wide array of staple organizations in the region including Goodyear, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Akron Zoo, and more.
The teams at TRIAD and Bounce worked together over several months in the second half of 2024 to align on the vision of the new website. Vision boards, concepts, & examples were created with different elements that were deliberated at every stage to ensure the website reflected Bounce’s identity as an organization with historic roots and a bright future.
When it came to the look of the new site, the team began nailing down the homepage that could be built off and expanded upon for a cohesive and appealing experience. TRIAD’s designers worked with Bounce’s core team on capturing the strengths of Bounce’s brand – bold colors, crisp messaging, and infectious energy – to create an updated look that felt familiar, yet fresh. The homepage also set out to emphasize Bounce’s positioning as a leader in groundbreaking modern industries like health-tech and polymers. These elements were put on proud display at the top of the page reading “GREAT THINGS HAPPEN HERE” overlayed by an energetic looping video with Bounce’s signature orange overlaying the imagery. Contrasting color blocks are intermittently broken up with sharp white background and custom line art that evokes a futuristic, technological appearance with moving parts and connecting segments.
“When designing the Bounce Innovation Hub website, we drew direct inspiration from their vibrant physical space — a hub of creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking energy,” said Nicholas Peters of TRIAD. “Our goal was to translate that atmosphere into a digital experience that feels just as dynamic. We reimagined the site’s architecture to make it more intuitive and easy to navigate, so visitors can quickly find what they need. We focused on clean, modern design and tech-forward aesthetics to resonate with their entrepreneurial community. Subtle animations throughout the site add moments of surprise and delight, reinforcing the spirit of innovation that Bounce embodies.”
The new strategic framework created a model for how Bounce is presented to its audience, focusing on three core pillars: Programming, Convening, and Place. These pillars encompass the variety of different ways that entrepreneurs, companies, and other professionals interact with the organization. Each one required its own identity that easy to navigate and find the most important information that pertains to each potential visitor. Through regular check-in meetings and follow-ups, care was taken between Bounce & TRIAD to implement an intuitive sitemap that felt rich with content on every page without feeling bloated or appearing to have content buried.
Another major aspect of Bounce’s identity is its access to a wealth of information, resources, and support for entrepreneurs and professionals. Different teams within Bounce’s staff oversee the intake of applications for Bounce’s multiple accelerator programs, memberships for The Generator, leasing in The Incubator, donations & corporate sponsorships, and more. The team worked to ensure that forms & contact information were readily available on pages throughout the website to ensure that visitors are easily able to find the resources they are seeking as easily as possible.
Through multiple versions and trial runs, the website continued to streamline and take shape into its current version that reflects an adaptable, inventive, and exciting Bounce Innovation Hub with a dynamic new strategic plan shaping the vision and mission of the organization for the years to come.
From solo entrepreneurs looking for coworking space, to startup or small business founders seeking entrepreneurial support, to anyone in between: www.bouncehub.org provides the tools to serve professionals in Northeast Ohio and beyond.