Earlier this month, (September 3rd, to be exact), a side project of mine finally launched. I should say this was a lot of people’s side project, starting with Nicole Harrison, principle and social media marketing expert behind Social Nicole, LLC, a group of talented and trusted advisors bringing wisdom and advice, a Dutch WordPress developer, Nick van de Veerdonk of Jaaa!Design, and one young woman’s dream.
The young woman I’m taking about is Astronaut Abby, a.k.a. Abigail Harrison. Since she was a little girl, Abby’s dream has been to be an astronaut. That dream grew to be the first astronaut to step foot on Mars in 2030.
While her parents thought this might pass, Abby’s daring dream has only grown. She is so passionate about space exploration, Abby wants to inspire others, too. That means talking to kids of all ages about the importance of STEM education, what it takes to be an astronaut and all the work and planning she has been doing since she was 13. But Abby also knows that not everyone is an inspiring astronaut and yet everyone can have a dream, can dare to dream big and through example, learn how to make it happen by reaching out to teachers, mentors, family and leveraging the power of social media.
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New website interface design for Astronaut Abby.
“In 2011, Harrison joined Twitter as Astronaut Abby, looking for a quote from a NASA employee for a school project. She was immediately embraced by the space community online as a leader in her generation. In 2013, Harrison decided to start a worldwide outreach program as part of her role as Earth Liaison to her mentor, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano, while he was living on the space station.”
That’s where things were when I was introduced to Abby and her dream. I’ve seen her outreach on social media expand and watched her perfect her public speaking and interview skills. One of the things I care deeply about is supporting young women’s dreams through education, opportunities, and access. This young woman was going places and by supporting Abby’s efforts, I knew it would inspire other young women who are passionate about the sciences and who want to break gender molds (and the glass ceiling) in professions where women can (and are proving) they can excel. Over time, I have become a “brand ambassador” of sorts, donating time and design for Astronaut Abby’s outreach efforts. If Abby is as serious as I know she is about her dream and knowing the groundwork and on-going plans she has, then she needed serious branding and design to back her image and messaging.
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New internal web page interface design for Astronaut Abby.
Now that Abby has graduated from high school and has begun her college career at Wellesley College, it was also time for her website to “graduate,” too. The new website features a better organized focus for visitors, is fully responsive, has a cleaner look and feel and incorporates more of Abby’s personality with handwritten signature as logo.
But the mission isn’t complete. Stay tuned for what’s orbiting next.
P.S. While I don’t have specific numbers at the time of this post, it is reported that astronautabby.com experienced a significant increase in Twitter and Facebook followers. as well as people signing up for Astronaut Abby e-mail updates with the launching of her new website.
Thinking about a new website or a website refresh, just think what it can do for your business! Want to learn more? Let’s talk.
