The preservation and informing others of history can prove difficult if it is not documented in an effective manner. Documenting and sharing black history of Harrisonburg, VA and the greater Shenandoah Valley is the goal of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project. When graduate student Lauren Oakes came to the SVBHP with the a plan to create a virtual walking tour, they decided to work together to make it a reality. However, they quickly realized the need for a brand, a website, and photography and sought my expertise and assistance. 

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I conducted my own research into the SVBHP, the history they preserve, and what they advocate for and pulled together ideas for their logo. Since the organization focuses solely on preserving black history in the Shenandoah Valley, I felt that neutral browns, greens, and blues best served the tone of the brand. The title of the project, Roots Run Deep, really emphasizes the core and goal of this project which was preserving the "Roots" of black people in the Shenandoah Valley. I took that concept and imagery to heart when creating the visuals for this project and made sure to be very intentional with my work. Additionally, the client wanted the logo to tie in with the SVBHP's original logo which has a winding path as the focus. I was able reshape this path and include it in the final logo design.

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After establishing the brand of the project, I continued with my effort by crafting the website for Roots Run Deep. I conducted research on other historical websites to better understand what users are familiar with on these kind of sites. I decided to go with a simple design with a well organized navigation system as the walking tour included a large number of locations to visit and the client requested having a designated page for each one. Additionally, since the client would be continuously updating the website at the close of my internship and is not very comfortable with technology, I wanted to make it as easy as possible to maintain.