Cogapp redevelops The Mercers’ Company Website
September 2011

September has been an exceptionally busy month for Cogapp and we’re delighted to announce another new client and website launch, this time, for The Mercers’ Company, the premier Livery Company of the City of London.

Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1394, the Company’s original aim was to protect the interests of a particular trade, and the practitioners of that trade, thereby acting as a Trade Association for general merchants, in particular, importers of velvet, silk and other luxurious fabrics.

Nowadays, although the Company no longer has any trade to control, its modern life is busy and productive. Company activities now include the ownership and management of a large portfolio of investments, mainly properties in the City and West End of London.

The surplus from the Company’s corporate activities contributes to the Company's charitable grant making. They also provide housing for the elderly, wide ranging support for education and have active links with many churches.

This project saw us work collaboratively with The Mercers’ Company to completely redevelop their website. We carried out comprehensive stakeholder and user research to gather requirements and our creative methodology incorporated a full design discovery process.

Redesigning the information architecture, graphics and back end technology, we were able to refresh the overall look and feel of the website. This means it is now extremely user-friendly and is able to facilitate regular updates to visitors via a new Drupal 7 Content Management System.

The long and illustrious history of the Company can be explored on the site via a new interactive timeline, which charts events such as the rise of probably the most famous Mercer, Dick Whittington, in 1395 and the banning of beards by the Company in 1541!

Present day activities are represented on a series of Google Maps, showing schools, Alms Houses, charitable donations and places where sculptures of the Mercers’ Maiden can be seen throughout the City.