10 Best Economic Development Websites of 2014

Looking for some new ideas for your Economic Development web design? This list of the very best EDO websites is sure to inspire you. 

We made our selections based on our overall first impression of the design, the usability of the site, image quality, whether or not modern elements like flat design were being used, and other criteria. We looked at more than a hundred EDO websites, finally narrowing the list down to ten. 

Needless to say, it was a lot of fun.

On this page:

1. Mohave County Economic Development
2. Arizona Commerce Authority
3. Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
4. Calgary Economic Development
5. Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
6. Cornerstone Alliance
7. Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
8. Economic Development Winnipeg
9. Johnson County Development Corp
10. Michigan Economic Development Corporation

And now, without further ado, I am pleased to present our choices for the 10 Best Economic Development Websites of 2014!

1) Mohave County Economic Development

The website for Mohave County features stunning photography, highlighted statistics about the region, and—for a dash of personality—a fun handwritten typeface.

2) Arizona Commerce Authority

A long-scrolling homepage design allows the Arizona Commerce Authority to provide a lot of information without overwhelming visitors.

3) Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance website features a beautiful full-page image rotator and modern flat design elements.

4) Calgary Economic Development

Calgary Economic Development makes a big statement with geometric elements and subtle patterns.

5) Greater Fort Wayne Inc.

The Greater Fort Wayne website fully embraces flat design, creating a clean and modern look.

6) Cornerstone Alliance

The image rotator for the Cornerstone Alliance website features stunning photography and a cool "ghosted" effect.

7) Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

The LAEDC website features a fixed navigation menu that shrinks when you scroll down the page, keeping it convenient but out of the way.

8) Economic Development Winnipeg

Full-page background images, large icons and mega menus make the Economic Development Winnipeg website shine.

9) Johnson County Development Corp

The Johnson County Development Corp website keeps things fresh with a subtle geometric pattern overlay, diagonal lines, and a background image that's different each time you visit the page.

10) Michigan Economic Development Corporation

The navigation of the MEDC website is really interesting—the long-scrolling homepage moves horizontally rather than vertically. There is also a unique diagonal line overlay on top of the images.

BONUS: Big Ideas Grow Here

This talent attraction site for Boise Valley is an incredible storytelling platform that showcases what it's like to live and work in Boise. Almost nothing on this website is static—videos throughout the site include testimonials from residents and clips from around the city. Visit the site to get the full experience!

So, what makes a great Economic Development website?

After looking through more than a hundred websites and narrowing our list down to the 10 best EDO websites, some trends became evident. The best Economic Development websites feature large and high-quality images, interesting icons and call-out boxes, and layouts that are able to display large amounts of information in a clean and organized manner.

In addition to these trends, we also saw EDOs incorporating some unexpected elements, such as geometric overlays, video backgrounds, horizontal scrolling, and handwritten fonts.

When the time comes to update your Economic Development website, make sure you're up-to-date on the latest design trends—but don't be afraid to bend the rules!

Did we miss any great EDO websites?

Do you know of a phenomenal Economic Development website that should be on our list? If so, please share it with us in the comments section below!

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