nigelparry.net: American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights v1.0

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American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights v1.0

Above: AAPER homepage.

The American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER), found at americansforpalestine.org is America's Pro-Palestine, Pro-Peace lobby. AAPER's mission is to educate the American public about Palestinian human and national rights, and about the role of the US in the Arab-Israeli relationship, and to shape a US foreign policy that recognizes and seeks to advance the human and national rights of the Palestinian people.

Above: Homepage of AAPER' website, offering access to information and news from the AAPER Foundation and the AAPER organisation. Deeper into the site, as visitors explore sections, the blue and red navigation adapt to identify which part of the visitor is in.

AAPER IDENTITY: DESIGNING THE LOGO

A new organisation, AAPER needed a logo to go with its identity.

Above: The AAPER logo was designed by nigelparry.net consultant Ken Harper.

As AAPER is "America's Pro-Palestine, Pro-Peace Lobby", the logo juxtaposes elements from the Palestinian flag (right) and the eagle, the symbol of America. nigelparry.net consultant Ken Harper produced the logo after consultation with the client.

The star that forms the eagle's eye, a recognisable symbol in the colors of the American flag, was juxtaposed next to the Palestinian flag, evoking the sense of protection inherant in the text of the American Declaration of Independence.

AS with AAPER, the logo seeks to emphasise the clear human rights message from the Declaration as an important component of US-foreign relations:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

DISTINGUISHING THE TWO ORGANISATIONAL SECTIONS OF AAPER

AAPER is two separate organisations, an educational organisation and a lobby group.

The site offers a portal to the work of both the education-oriented AAPER Foundation and the legislative-oriented AAPER organisation -- a division highlighted in the design through a double navigation motif that splits to offer two distinct looks on pages, to identify the two separate organisations, as visitors go deeper in the site.

Several images and a simple and effective text narration are delivered by two multimedia panels in the top right corner of the two sections of the website. The panels emphasise that the Palestinian struggle for self-determination is part of a continuity of self-determination struggles that have taken place throughout history -- America's own civil rights struggle, the struggle for freedom from Apartheid, and the Chinese pro-democracy movement.

Above: The Education section of AAPER's website, that corresponds with the work of the AAPER Foundation, a 501(c)(3) US non-profit organisatio, whose mission is "to educate the American public about the history and human rights of the Palestinian people, and the United States' role in the Arab-Israeli relationship."

Above: The Legislative section of AAPER's website, that corresponds with the work of the AAPER organisation, a US 501(c)(4) organisation whose mission is "to shape a US foreign policy that recognizes and seeks to advance the human rights of the Palestinian people."

One of the issues in any website design is carrying the visual branding of the site consistently throughout. AAPER's site is visually dynamic, as its founders wanted a strong, bright design.

In the last stages of launching a website, it is important to pay attention to detail and carry the feel of the design to every element of the site. Below, AAPER's "E-mail This" tool retains the feel of the site.