Explore 314 Website - @IntegritySTL

This work submission admittedly got swept away in the deluge of emails and submissions in our inbox but we figured it's better to get it out there, later than never, for the community to see since it is an outward facing representation of St. Louis.

Integrity designed and developed www.explore314.com for the St. Louis CVC as an online property focused towards African Americans and promoting the lifestyle and culture within St. Louis.

Integrity did a decent job of introducing the highlights of St. Louis with spokesperson Jackie Joyner-Kersee as the foundation for the campaign. The intro pages are bright and engaging (albeit a blurry cutout of JJK on the Washington Ave. Page) and the entire site is informative and loaded with some interesting venues focused towards the african-american target market.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with politically-correct focused campaigns towards black people, the copy can sometimes fall short:
"Explore the atmosphere of the actual courthouse where a slave courageously sued for his freedom. Or celebrate the 35th anniversary of the nation’s largest professional African-American theatre company, The Black Rep. Our bits and pieces of African American culture will make you proud. We know, because a part of you is already here!"

- or -

"From the African American lifestyle to our culture and family-friendly fun, witness why Jackie Joyner Kersee has kept those six medals secure in St. Lou. Get the 411 on the 314!" (Ego note: We're fairly certain that she keeps those medals secure in Chicago these days but couldn't find a quick source to verify this.)

Yikes. Not to jump too heavily into a discussion of race talks (the skin color kind not the olympic competition kind), but this definitely seems like something written by an out of touch caucasian.

Admittedly, this is not an easy project, and we think Integrity executed an engaging site, to the best of their abilities. If this was paired with more in-touch copy and a few design tweaks (no white text over light images) it would win a couple of gold, or at least silver, medals.

What do you think?
Let us know in the comments.