GW Legacy Advisors specializes in comprehensive wealth management and legacy planning, helping clients build, grow, and transition their business or personal estate. They partnered with Arcadia Solutions to create a sophisticated digital platform that reflects their premium brand while streamlining content marketing operations. >>> Learn more about GW Legacy Advisors' services here.

Project Background and Objectives

GW-Legacy approached the development team with a dual challenge: they needed a visually distinctive digital platform that would showcase their brand identity while also streamlining their content marketing operations. As an organization with regular blog content production, they required a solution that would reduce the manual effort involved in distributing that content across social channels.

The project began with several key objectives:

Design Excellence: Create a visually distinctive website with custom design elements that would differentiate the brand from competitors.

Content Showcase: Develop an engaging presentation system for blog content that would encourage readership and time on site.

Marketing Automation: Implement a streamlined system for automatically distributing new blog content to social media platforms without manual intervention.

Animation Enhancement: Utilize animation techniques to create a premium, interactive feel that would elevate the user experience.

These objectives guided both the design approach and technical implementation decisions throughout the project.

Design Strategy: Custom Crafted Experience

The design strategy for GW-Legacy focused on creating a visual experience that would feel both distinctive and premium:

Visual Identity Elements

The site's visual identity was crafted through a Figma-to-Webflow workflow:

Custom Component System: Rather than relying on standard templates, each component was designed in Figma with attention to the brand's specific requirements.

Motion Design Planning: Animation concepts were integrated into the design process from the beginning, with storyboarding in Figma to plan transition states and interactive elements.

Whitespace Utilization: Strategic use of negative space creates breathing room around content elements, enhancing readability and creating a premium feel.

These design elements work together to create a distinctive, brand-appropriate aesthetic that positions GW-Legacy as a premium offering in their market space.

Content Presentation

The content structure was carefully designed to maximize engagement:

Featured Content Hierarchy: The blog presentation system uses visual cues to distinguish between featured and standard content, guiding readers to priority articles.

Reading Experience Optimization: Content pages are designed specifically for comfortable reading, with attention to line length, contrast, and typography.

Related Content Suggestions: A sophisticated recommendation system presents contextually relevant articles at appropriate points in the user journey.

Social Sharing Integration: Strategic placement of sharing elements makes it easy for readers to distribute content to their networks, extending organic reach.

This thoughtful organization ensures that content is not only accessible but presented in a way that encourages consumption and sharing.

Technical Implementation: Animation Excellence

The technical implementation of the GW-Legacy website focused on creating a premium interactive experience through advanced animation:

GSAP Animation System

The animation system leverages the GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) for sophisticated motion effects:

Scroll-Triggered Animations: Content elements animate into view as the user scrolls, creating a dynamic reading experience that reveals information at appropriate moments.

Transition Animations: Page transitions and GSAP to create smooth, branded movements between different sections of the site, maintaining context and reducing perceived loading time.

Performance Optimization: All animations are optimized for performance, using GSAP's efficiency to ensure smooth experiences even on less powerful devices.

This thoughtfully implemented animation system transforms what could have been a static presentation into an engaging, interactive experience that keeps visitors engaged.

Marketing Automation: Streamlined Content Distribution

A key technical achievement of the GW-Legacy website is its automated content distribution system:

Webflow to Social Media Pipeline

The content distribution system creates a seamless flow from publication to social sharing:

Make.com Integration: When new blog posts are published in the Webflow CMS, Make.com (formerly Integromat) scenarios automatically trigger, detecting the new content and initiating the distribution workflow.

Buffer Publishing Schedule: Processed content is automatically sent to Buffer, which manages the timing of social posts according to pre-configured schedules optimized for each platform.

This automated pipeline dramatically reduces the manual effort required to maintain an active social media presence, allowing the team to focus on content creation rather than distribution logistics.

User Experience Design: Seamless and Engaging

The user experience design for GW-Legacy creates an engaging journey that encourages content consumption:

Engagement Optimization

The user experience includes several elements designed to maximize engagement:

Strategic Call-to-Action Placement: CTAs are positioned at moments of peak engagement, increasing conversion likelihood without disrupting the reading experience.

Social Proof Integration: User engagement metrics and testimonials are tastefully incorporated throughout the content experience, building credibility and encouraging interaction.

Micro-Interactions: Small, delightful interactive elements respond to user actions, creating moments of surprise and engagement throughout the experience.

These engagement elements create a more compelling experience that encourages both initial and return visits.

Results and Impact

The GW-Legacy website has delivered significant benefits since its launch:

Business Outcomes

The site has contributed to several business objectives:

Content Marketing Efficiency: The automated social posting system has reduced the time spent on content distribution.

Social Engagement Growth: The consistency enabled by automation has contributed to an increase in social engagement metrics across platforms.

Technical Performance

The implementation has achieved impressive technical results:

Animation Performance: Despite the sophisticated animation system, the site maintains excellent performance metrics.

Maintenance Efficiency: The well-structured Webflow implementation has reduced ongoing maintenance needs, with most content updates requiring zero developer intervention.

These technical achievements ensure that the site will continue to perform well with minimal overhead.

Conclusion

The GW-Legacy website demonstrates how thoughtful integration of design excellence and marketing automation can create a platform that is both visually compelling and operationally efficient. By combining custom Figma-to-Webflow design, GSAP animations, and Make.com/Buffer integration, the implementation created a system that advances both brand presentation and marketing objectives.

This case study illustrates that investing in both the aesthetic and operational aspects of a digital platform can yield significant returns. The GW-Legacy website succeeds by recognizing that visual excellence and workflow efficiency are not competing priorities but complementary elements of a successful digital strategy.