A couple weeks back, I was given the chance to share my thoughts on the new Recovery.gov website in an article that was published in the Baltimore Sun.

Here is the complete text of my commentary, which was edited (thankfully…) for inclusion in the paper:

“President Barack Obama’s newly launched Recovery.gov is aesthetically similar to the new WhiteHouse.gov. The design is sparse and straightforward, with emphasis put on communicating information clearly and effectively. The site employs very clear, uncomplicated information graphics to communicate where the stimulus package money is being spent. Additionally, a draggable timeline allows users to experience the history of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The tone of Recovery.gov is more conservative than Obama’s campaign site. This is reflected both in the typography and the color palette. For example, Recovery.gov uses serif fonts extensively, whereas the campaign relied heavily on Gotham, a modern sans-serif font produced by Hoefler & Frere Jones. Additionally, the color palette has shifted to a more subtle pairing of royal blue with greys, golds, and variations on the blues that dominated his campaign site.

Recovery.org has been launched as a work in progress. It promises to change and evolve as milestones are met. Where it may lack in vibrancy, it shines in its use of interactive elements. On the homepage, users can view an address from Obama. Using YouTube to deliver the video allows the message to exist outside of the site and increases the chances that the video will go viral.

Users are encouraged to share their “recovery stories” and the site promises to publish collected stories in the future, which hints at the site’s goal of building a community.

Also of interest is that the site appears to use Drupal as its content management system. Drupal is an open source PHP-based CMS that is supported by a large user base. Choosing Drupal as the platform of choice for this site shows that Obama’s team is committed to delivering change and doing so without being beholden to any proprietary systems.

All in all, it is an exceptional start to what will be a very important website.”

Since the article was published there have been some changes to the site, including the use of a new logo. My expectation is that the site will continue to grow and change over time. The selection of a flexible and modular CMS (Drupal) will help the team behind the site continue to add to it and change it as needed. Interested in using the same CMS on your site that our new President is using to run his site? Drop us a line!