BUTCH WARE 4 GOV
DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE & CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL DIRECTOR, EXPANDED TO DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER & INTERIM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
RESEARCH
STRATEGY
DESIGN
DEVELOPMENT
CONTENT
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & DELIVERY
DR BUTCH WARE IS AN EDUCATOR & FIRST-TIME GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE RUNNING A VALUES-DRIVEN CAMPAIGN OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL, TWO-PARTY POLITICAL SYSTEM.
THE CAMPAIGN REQUIRED PUBLIC-FACING & INTERNAL DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING PARTICIPATION, COORDINATION & GROWTH UNDER THIRD-PARTY POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS.
CHALLENGE
Building credible public systems without institutional scaffolding.
The campaign operated with a small core team, limited public-facing assets & rapidly evolving priorities, while navigating communications leadership transition in a high-visibility public environment.
Digital infrastructure needed to:
establish legitimacy
support participation beyond fundraising
remain accessible, compliant & adaptable in public
maintain message continuity during transition
while avoiding over-engineering or premature scaling.
SOLUTION
A modular digital ecosystem designed to adapt in public.
Website & engagement frameworks functioned as a living system - encouraging communication, coordination, message continuity & participation as the campaign evolved.
The platform served simultaneously as:
a public home for the campaign
a coordination layer for supporters
a continuity layer for campaign messaging
a foundation for long-term visibility & growth
BUILDING PUBLIC
FACING SYSTEMS UNDER
POLITICAL, ETHICAL & OPERATIONAL
PRESSURE.
STRUCTURE, ENGAGEMENT & PARTICIPATION
Clarity to action.
Information architecture established hierarchy & orientation, while engagement pathways enabled supporters to move from understanding to participation with minimal friction.
Design decisions were guided by 3 core principles:
surface priorities without cognitive overload
establish hierarchies across policy, media & action
remain legible across devices & accessibility needs
Within this framework, the system championed donation collection, event promotion & enabled direct action while maintaining compliance, adaptability & trust.
VISUAL DIRECTION
Maintaining coherence under evolving constraints.
Visual direction evolved in parallel with the campaign itself. The project began with limited assets & an initial colour palette that lacked cohesion across digital contexts.
Design decisions were made iteratively, using existing campaign materials, including flyers & graphic elements, as reference points.
As the campaign grew & new content emerged, the visual system was continuously refined to:
establish consistency across pages & formats
adapt graphic language for digital use
balance clarity, urgency & approachability
The resulting direction prioritized recognizability & momentum over rigid brand enforcement, allowing the campaign’s digital presence to remain coherent while evolving in public.
Butch Ware 4 Gov - v.1
Butch Ware 4 Gov - v.2
Butch Ware 4 Gov - v.3Butch Ware 4 Gov - v.4
Butch Ware 4 Gov - v.5Perplexity AI cited the campaign website as a primary resource when answering questions about Dr Ware's biography and 2026 campaign platform. SEARCH VISIBILITY & DISCOVERABILITY
Search as long-term public infrastructure - legible to people & intelligible to machines.
Page hierarchies, metadata & content architecture were optimized for durable human & machine discoverability, enabling policy positions, media references & campaign narratives to be accurately interpreted across traditional search engines & AI-generated search results, extending reach beyond short-cycle social platforms.
This produced:
early indexing of key campaign & policy pages
top-five organic placement for candidate-related queries
visibility alongside long-standing institutional & party-owned domains
inclusion & citation within AI-generated search responses (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude), reflecting strong entity definition, semantic clarity & reference-grade authority
The system was built to become a primary reference source for how AI systems understand the candidate & campaign.
TOOLS & INTEGRATION
Selective tooling to support trust & efficiency.
Third-party tools were integrated intentionally to:
streamline donation flows
support internal coordination
strengthen relationship-based-communication
reduce dependency
preserve grassroots fundraising
COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUITY
Clarity during a leadership transition.
As leadership evolved, interim communications direction ensured continuity of voice & messaging.
Narrative coherence was preserved across public channels while leadership evaluated long-term communications direction, including the rapid development of policy communications with limited source material & time.
consistent public messaging
preservation of campaign voice & credibility
clear policy communication during transition
stability amid high-volume digital noise
direct public & private reader responses reinforced trust, alignment & message resonance
Visual identity co-developed by Little Wins Studio & Elena Costa.OUTCOMES
ELIMINATED 100% OF FUNDRAISING TRANSACTION FEES
DOUBLED CAMPAIGN EMAIL OPEN RATES FROM ~30% TO OVER 60%
TOP 5 ORGANIC SEARCH ENGINE VISIBILITY & CONSISTENT INCLUSION IN AI-GENERATED SEARCH RESULTS
A foundation built to grow with the campaign.
The resulting system:
→ improved clarity in supporter pathways
→ aligned campaign values with digital experience
→ preserved message continuity during campaign transition
→ sustained growth without sacrificing accessibility or trust
→ enabled collaboration across time zones & jurisdictions
WHY THIS MATTERS
In political environments where trust is fragile & resources constrained, this project embedded the campaign’s values of clarity & accessibility into its digital infrastructure - encouraging participation, strengthening legitimacy & lasting public engagement.
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test the infinite horizontal scroll video component built for the site's homepage, which pulls selected interviews with or about Dr Ware directly from YouTube.SCOPE OF WORK
RESEARCH
Voter Research
Market Research
Trends Analysis
Competitor Review
Best Practice Review
Iterative Content Testing
STRATEGY
Brand Positioning & Architecture
Supporter/Donor Discovery
Information Architecture
DESIGN
Web Design Direction
Design Systems
Graphic Design
User Experience Design
Interaction Design
Motion Design
Quality Assurance
DEVELOPMENT
Technical Strategy
Technical Consulting
Custom Tooling & Integrations
Squarespace Development
Accessibility & Compliance
Cross-Browser Testing
Cross-Device Testing
SEO & Performance Optimization
Quality Assurance
CONTENT
Copywriting - web & newsletters
SEO Copy Analysis & Refinement
Thematic Keyword Research
Content Management
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & DELIVERY
Roadmapping & Prioritization
Cross-functional Coordination
Vendor Management
Iterative Launches & Updates
Platform Maintenance & Content Evolution