The site was designed by C&G Partners, implemented in Drupal by Palantir.net, and integrated with the Alfresco document management system for the archive portion of the site. Read more about the project here.

The King Center Imaging Project, an Initiative of JPMorgan Chase & Co., has created a new digital archive to be the basis of the new site. It makes thousands of documents – letters, speeches, drafts, notes, photos and more – available for free to the general public for the first time. The new site is designed to be used by people around the globe, particularly in the developing world.

Led by partner Maya Kopytman, the new site builds on the graphic identity established for the project’s related traveling exhibition, completed by the firm in 2011.

The website’s digital archive was designed to inspire exploration and discovery through the introduction of randomly-displayed collection themes. To facilitate research and education, filters based on specially curated themes parse the collection for a more funneled experience. Advanced search gives expert users very specific query tools including location, date range, organizations and people, to name just a few.

On archive detail pages, panning and zooming controls allows users to view the details of the document collection. Wear and tear on the paper, handwritten notes scribbled in margins, and the signature of Dr. King himself can all be seen in minute detail.

Tags, related documents, transcripts and translations all contribute to a rich interaction with a continuously growing resource.

The project is an Initiative of JPMorgan Chase’s Technology for Social Good program. C&G Partners worked in collaboration with Chicago-based web development firm Palantir. The site is built in Drupal 7. The archive is managed using the open source Alfresco platform, customized and implemented by Micro Strategies, Inc. Assets for the online digital archive are stored using AT&T’s Synaptic Storage as a Service, powered by EMC’s Atmos technology and hosted on Acquia’s Managed Cloud platform. The design of the imaging lab and the processes for capturing images were engineered by Scott Geffert of imagingetc.

C&G Partners is humbled and grateful to have been part of this project: not only to assist in offering millions of people a priceless resource at their fingertips, but to build increased awareness of Dr. King and his philosophy with a worldwide audience.

The mobile website translates the oversized typography of the Egg Strategy printed matter and desktop website to the tiny screens of handheld devices. Each page can be accessed in almost exactly the same way as one might using a native application, all the while managing to present the entirety of the content from its bigger brother, based as it is, on a shared content management system and database. Egg staff updates one, and the other follows suit.

The firm’s touring exhibit allows visitors to study and interact with Dr. King’s documents in high resolution and experience first-hand the process of digitization used in the lab.

The project includes interactive stations featuring four of Dr. King’s most famous written works: the “I Have a Dream” speech, the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, and the “Drum Major Instinct” sermon. The documents come alive with multimedia annotations, asides, images and videos.

Exhibit visitors can write their own dream, have it scanned, and add it to wall with hundreds more. Visitors start by writing their hopes on a special “My Dream Is” card. (In the first image below, exhibit guests Martin Luther King III and his wife Arndrea write their own dream for the future.)

The card is digitally captured using the same technology used for the digitization of the entire King collection.

The digital image is saved and permanently archived into the King Center collection.

Finally, visitors physically post their card on the Dream Wall where it joins hundreds more.

The exhibit includes drawers full of high-resolution, annotated document reproductions for visitors to hold and examine; a video about the digitization project; and custom-colored computer stations.

One terminal allows visitors to listen to complete audio recordings of Dr. King’s most famous speeches, watch complete historic footage of the pivotal “I Have a Dream” speech, and explore The King Center’s current website.

C&G Partners also created the visual brand for the The King Center Imaging Project itself, the exhibit staff livery, takeaways and other items.

The modular, reconfigurable exhibit was launched at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington DC, and will travel to the Congressional Black Caucus, The King Center in Atlanta, Chase headquarters in New York City, and many other venues.

C&G Partners was honored to do the concept, exhibit, graphic and interactive design for the project. The video was edited by our frequent collaborators Russell Brosnahan Haffner Multimedia, Inc. The exhibit was built and installed by Art Guild, Inc. C&G Partners is currently working on a complete new website for the King Center and the King Center Imaging Project, which will debut in 2012.

View Egg Strategy’s webaward, and Coming of Age’s webaward.

This marks the third MUSE win or co-win for the firm in as many years, with The Star Spangled Banner Interactive Table winning a gold in 2009, and the The Voices of Liberty Exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage receiving a silver in 2010.

View a synopsis of the Coming of Age project below:

View the website for yourself.

This virtual classroom provides the ability to bridge the curriculum with other classes worldwide. Teachers can view a list of participating classes for partnering, and if compatible, pair their class with another temporarily to execute stories and discussions in one conjoined class. A few weeks after launch but prior to the official marketing of the website, new registrants for the website spanned continents. Using customization of WordPress and BuddyPress installations, this curriculum capitalizes on social media practices to make it more engaging and lively for both teacher and students in a global capacity, while preserving these stories for future generations.

Read recent press about the project here. View the website here.

Read a past Fresh post about the project and view the project page.

Photos courtesy of Caminos del Inka on facebook and the MDR Sinfonieorchestrar website