EDA

Their work is rooted in the belief that sustainable management of natural resources is a key response to the ecological crisis. To bring this vision to the public, EDA provides research, training, and educational programs that help people actively participate in and support economic democracy.

When EDA partnered with Qflux, their digital presence didn’t match the strength of their mission. The website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failed to convey the organization’s passion and values. Our team was tasked with a complete overhaul from design and branding to development and integrations to create a digital platform that could inform, inspire, and mobilize.

The project kicked off in February with a highly collaborative approach. The client provided an RFP that outlined expectations, and through a series of discovery calls we shaped a roadmap with milestones and deadlines. Our first priority was restructuring the information architecture. The site was content-heavy and disorganized, so we reorganized materials into clear sections, wireframes, and a new sitemap that set the groundwork for a smooth user experience.

Although branding wasn’t part of the original request, it quickly became clear that a strong identity was necessary to match the organization’s growing influence.

Logo refresh: Instead of redesigning from scratch, we refined the existing logo — simplifying its lines, darkening the blue for authority, and removing unnecessary details.

Color system: A palette of blue and coral became the foundation, supported by green, turquoise, and light blue accents inspired by nature. These were also used in a smart color-coding system to represent EDA’s activities and guide navigation.

Typography & visuals: We introduced new brand fonts, custom icons, and subtle animations. Each page was designed to balance visual appeal with clarity, ensuring that content remained at the forefront.

Micro-interactions: Small interactive details and dynamic hero visuals brought energy to the design and mirrored EDA’s passion.

As a result, the brand identity became brighter, bolder, and more memorable, while still reflecting the professionalism of the organization.

Given the need for scalability and flexibility, we built the website on WordPress, enhanced with Elementor and Gravity Forms. This setup made it possible to handle large amounts of content efficiently, automate key workflows such as elections, surveys, donations, and membership forms, and centralize processes that were previously spread across external integrations. At the same time, it provided a CMS that the EDA team could easily manage on their own.

For memberships and donations, we replaced a rigid external tool with a custom WordPress plugin that streamlined applications and renewals. Donations were also integrated directly into the site, ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience.

To extend functionality even further, we connected the site with several specialized platforms. Little Green Light and Active Campaign were integrated to centralize communications and automate outreach and data collection. Billtrack 50 was added to give visitors clear access to information on food, water, and energy legislation across different regions. Finally, we implemented GIS maps powered by QGIS to visualize the carrying capacity of various bioregions, helping both users and lawmakers better understand sustainability challenges and opportunities.

The new site was designed to be content-rich but never overwhelming. We broke long texts into readable sections, supported by imagery and infographics. Key CTAs for donations, memberships, and advocacy were placed strategically in the header and footer. A glossary was added to make complex terminology more accessible.

The homepage became the central hub for EDA’s activities, while blog and case study sections were rebuilt for better readability, filtering, and navigation. The result: a professional, engaging platform capable of supporting EDA’s mission.

The new EDA website is more than a digital presence. It’s a hub for education, advocacy, and action. With streamlined navigation, an inspiring brand identity, and powerful integrations, it empowers people to learn, engage, and contribute to sustainability initiatives.

As one client testimonial put it:

“Qflux’s impressive web development work enabled them to create an exceptional site that was in line with the client’s vision. They were creative, friendly, and detailed, which ensured the project’s success.” – James Quilligan, Managing Director, EDA

EDA’s passion for sustainability and grassroots advocacy now shines through every corner of their website making it impossible to visit without feeling inspired to take action.

We also improved the blog section, making it look more appealing and professional with structured content, filters, and easy navigation.

As EDA aims to provide users with a lot of helpful information in a convenient format at any time, creating EDA mobile layouts was crucial.

No matter how perfect the designed layouts and visuals are, the website can’t operate without a dedicated development team that sets the wheels in motion. As the project was extensive, QFlux provided EDA with a service team working exclusively on the EDA website and meeting its requirements on technical issues and integrations.

EDA members can apply or renew their membership to participate in various elections and votes concerning EDA activities. At the start of the work, the client used an integration that did not allow for enough flexibility and led users to external platforms, which caused a lot of inconveniences. We implemented a special WordPress plugin that centralized this process.

The EDA website also accepts donations. We designed a separate donation page that is consistent with the overall look and integrated it with the payment system module to allow users to carry out the payment right on the website without addressing external platforms. 

We also took care of all user actions that are now initiated solely on the EDA website. Previously, lots of activities like mailouts and data collection were carried out manually, thus not always correctly synchronized. By various integrations with such platforms as Little Green Light and Active Campaign, we brought every user action to a single point – the website.

Using Gravity Forms, our team managed to create loads of forms for various purposes from electing, surveying, donating, contacting anything you can think of. This plugin helped automate all business processes and flows and customize them to fit the overall style of the organization.

Besides general information, you can also find a table of bills on food, water, and energy in the US and sort them out by region or state. Our team integrated Billtrack 50 to help visitors see the details on the legislation of their bioregion.

Interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) maps are a QGIS powered tool that shows the carrying capacity (food, water, and energy resources) of the bioregion of choice. That also propels elected members to initiate a discussion or even a legislative action about sustainability with the local lawmakers.

Economic Democracy Advocates’ passion for sustainability and grassroots advocacy is now contagious – it’s impossible to leave their new website without being inspired to take action. QFluxhelped make the EDA website memorable, responsive, and highly functional. With lots of integrations, plugins, and features, it’s ready to educate and encourage people to become more self-reliant and active in ecology-related issues.