Bret Poklar Memorial

Designed to Honor a Life

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The family of Lcpl. Bret M. Poklar, a Willoughby, Ohio, native and U.S. Marine who tragically died in 2013, organizes an annual memorial scholarship benefit in Bret’s honor. Many people in the community of Willoughby and beyond continually seek information online about Bret and the benefit. The website serves as a common space for family members and other event organizers to share important information and event details.

Our Challenge

Company 119 was tasked with creating a new website that would both meaningfully commemorate Bret’s life and successfully promote the memorial benefit and scholarships. The challenge was striking the appropriate balance between those two functions.

Company 119 used soft design elements and personalized content, such as custom-designed photographs of Bret with family and friends, across all pages of the website. In addition to the commemorative design, the website is fully responsive and customized to support the efforts of Bret’s family to share information about and promote the annual benefit. A user-friendly navigation connects users to the information they are seeking, whether it is reading Bret’s personal story, finding details about event sponsors, or purchasing a ticket to the benefit.

Company 119 integrated Pay Pal on the site to allow users to easily purchase tickets for the benefit or make an online donation. Phone contacts are integrated for mobile users, providing quick access for interested individuals to speak with one of the event organizers. Finally, the site is integrated with social media so that visitors can share the event with their personal social networks.

Company 119 took a focused approach to the design of the Bret Poklar Memorial site to serve as the foundation for the Memorial’s digital presence and serve as a valuable resource for the Poklar family for years to come.