Stop The Press! California Homes Magazine’s New Website
New California Homes Magazine website homepage
COUPAR Marketing collaborated with California Homes Magazine on their new website to replace an antiquated and static one that dated back fifteen years. It was an exciting project as the magazine, headed by Publisher Heidi Gerpheide and Editor-In-Chief Susan McFadden, celebrates the Golden State's diverse topography and fearless creative spirit. When the publication launched in 1997, they drew inspiration from the innovative San Francisco and Los Angeles designers who defined the "California Look." Today, California Homes Magazine is considered one of the premier regional publications in the country, profiling architecture, interiors, landscape design, art, and artisans.
Old California Homes Magazine website homepage
Because of the complexity of magazine content, COUPAR designed and built a custom website to translate the physical into an online presence. Like laying out an issue's pagination, the site's structure requires sections, taxonomies, and hierarchies. We worked with a navigation flowchart to define categories on the homepage. After much debate, we distilled them into ‘Interiors,’ ‘Architecture,’ ‘Gardens,’ ‘Decoration,’ ‘Living,’ ‘Essential Guide,’ and ‘Out & About.’ Once California Homes Magazine agreed on the framework and selected the color palette and fonts, COUPAR began to complete the other pages, including drafting the ‘About,’ ‘Advertise,’ ‘Contact,’ and ‘Editorial Submissions’ sections.
California Homes Magazine Instagram
While Marketing added content to the site, including features about projects, professional profiles, and department pages, we also developed the magazine's social media in anticipation of the launch. COUPAR refined and fleshed out California Homes Magazine's Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts, resulting in increased traffic. Once live, Marketing posted an Instagram reel and graphic to announce the new website. California Homes Magazine now has a dynamic site that is easily accessible to its existing readership while appealing to a broader audience. Our client's reaction? " Love it!!! It looks fabulous! Thank you for all of your excellent work!"
