CAROLINA COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY - Hilton Head Island, SC
Dr. Katie Seeber, an archaeologist based in South Carolina's Lowcountry, came to us with a half built website, a sketch for a logo and lots of ideas. We worked in tandem with her to get her branding and socials up and running.
"They have helped take my projects to a new level""
"I have worked with the Brightstocking folks on various projects and have always been delighted with the results. They are professional, kind, and their work is impeccable. They have helped take my projects to a new level and I am grateful to have found their expertise. 10/10 would recommend."
-Dr. Katie Seeber
The Breakdown
BRANDING
Carolina Community Archaeology's brand identity incorporates key elements of their work through a vibrant, nature-inspired color palette. Their logo integrates an archaeological trowel with a landscape scene featuring earth, water, and sky, all encased in a warm golden circle that suggests both the sun and the cyclical nature of history. The deliberate choice to use natural colors instead of black (a color never found in nature) reflects founder Katie's philosophy that archaeology is inherently connected to the environment. The brand's typography pairs a bold, friendly green for "CAROLINA" with softer grey text below, creating a professional yet approachable aesthetic that mirrors their mission of making archaeology accessible to the community.
WEBSITE
Carolina Community Archaeology's website exemplifies effective visual storytelling through an intentional balance of educational content and compelling imagery. The design seamlessly integrates high-quality photographs of archaeological excavations, historical sites, and community engagement activities alongside descriptive text, creating an immersive user experience that brings their mission to life. The strategic use of white space and a clean layout ensures that both text and images have room to breathe, while maintaining clear information hierarchy that guides visitors through their services and ongoing projects. The website effectively demonstrates their hands-on approach to archaeology and community education, with particularly strong visual documentation of their work at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park. This thoughtful integration of visual and textual elements reinforces their commitment to making archaeology accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.
social media
The Coastal Community Archaeology project faced a common challenge among small heritage organizations: how to build a meaningful digital presence with limited staff resources. In consultation with social media strategist Ashley, the organization developed a streamlined approach that maximized impact while minimizing time investment. By focusing on high-engagement content types – including behind-the-scenes looks at archaeological digs, artifact restoration processes, and community volunteer spotlights – they are growing their social media following and retaining an impressive 25% engagement rate. This level of engagement, significantly higher than the industry average, demonstrated that their content truly resonated with their target audience. The key to their success lay in batch-creating content during field work sessions and scheduling posts in advance, allowing them to maintain a consistent online presence without disrupting their core archaeological work. This strategic approach demonstrated that small heritage organizations can effectively build their digital community with just a few hours of focused social media work per month.
