Case Study
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GO-Live Date
May 28, 2025
Trusted Web Experts
Charlie Stanley
Web Solutions Architect
Annie Watson
Project Manager
Jeff Marshall
Brand Identity
Nikki Vanderkooi
Content Strategy & Quality Assurance
Boris Zarev
Content Integration
Imelda Sotiri
Design Strategy
Emma Walsh
Layout Design
Mehran Aziz
Web Developer
Zeeshan Aziz
Web Developer
Leanna Thesken
Design Intake & Marketing
Levi Smith
Training & Website Launch
Deanna Frimann
Resource Allocation
Goals
Overview
Black Diamond Power’s First Website
Black Diamond Power Company, established in 1932, is an investor-owned utility serving communities across West Virginia. In 2025, they partnered with Powerful to launch something entirely new: their very first website. With a commitment to modernizing their operations and creating an easy-to-use digital experience for their customers, Black Diamond Power’s goal was to increase the use of online tools, simplify navigation, and ensure content stays timely and relevant. This project marked a major milestone—offering an opportunity to build a meaningful online presence from the ground up.
A Website 104 Years in the Making
Launching a debut website is a rare “blank canvas” moment. Black Diamond Power wanted more than a brochure site—it needed a platform that truly worked for its community by expanding the use of online tools. Key objectives included enabling customers to start, stop, or transfer service online and offering simple ways to update contact information without a phone call or office visit.
Powerful’s Forms app turned paper‑heavy processes into clean, mobile‑friendly forms that live right on the site. Clear form fields guide visitors through each step, and built‑in field validation ensures forms arrive accurate the first time—no back‑and‑forth communication required. These features help modernize the utility’s operations and offer a convenient, 24/7 option for customers who prefer to handle things online.
Behind the scenes, the shift is just as impactful. Online form submissions are automatically sent to the customer service admin, helping staff respond quickly and efficiently. What was once a manual process now happens seamlessly, cutting down on phone calls and paperwork.
Designed to Be Intuitive
Since this is Black Diamond Power’s first website, intuitive design was essential. The goal was to make the experience feel familiar and easy, even for first-time visitors. The Ashland blueprint—a task-oriented layout designed by Powerful—sets the foundation. Right on the homepage, visitors can click to pay their bill, report an outage, start or stop service, apply for payment assistance, or explore careers. These are the actions most visitors are there to complete, so Powerful brought them front and center.
The blueprint also includes a bold “Power Out?” callout paired with a prominent “Report Your Outage” button, reinforcing how the site functions as a real-time resource. This approach ensures that even in a moment of stress, the most important tools are easy to find and quick to use.
Local Access
Black Diamond Power serves customers across three separate office locations. With that in mind, accessibility was key. Instead of hiding office details in a hard-to-find spot, Powerful placed the addresses and phone numbers for all three offices right in the site footer, where they’re visible from every page. Visitors can tap to call or click for directions—features that might seem simple but go a long way in delivering a helpful, human experience.
These small touches reinforce a larger truth: intuitive design isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about reducing friction, removing guesswork, and making everyday tasks feel effortless. Whether someone is checking office hours, finding directions, or calling for support, the tools they need are right where they expect them to be.
A Foundation for the Future
Launching a first-ever website is a big moment—but it’s just the beginning. With the Ashland blueprint in place and modern features already empowering customers and staff alike, Black Diamond Power now has a strong foundation to grow from. Their new site reflects their commitment to service and reliability. By prioritizing ease of use, streamlining common tasks, and featuring relevant, up-to-date information, Black Diamond Power’s new website is more than a milestone. It’s a meaningful tool for their community.
Challenges
Black Diamond Power came to Powerful with a unique starting point: they never had a website before. This presented an exciting opportunity, but also a significant challenge. There was no existing digital design system to refine—only a blank slate that needed to represent the company’s legacy while feeling modern and trustworthy. The challenge was to introduce a design that felt both familiar and fresh, one that customers could connect with immediately.Since this was the utility’s digital debut, the branding needed to be strong and cohesive from the very start. Every element—from the logo and colors to the typography—had to signal professionalism and reliability. Without a digital precedent, the design also needed to set the tone for how Black Diamond Power would be perceived across all future touchpoints.
Solutions
Powerful started with a custom-designed logo that captures the strength and dependability behind Black Diamond Power’s name. The icon blends geometric symmetry with a nod to the “diamond” in their name—resulting in a logo that feels timeless, grounded, and regionally relevant. Paired with crisp, modern lettering, the final mark instantly gives the brand a professional and trustworthy presence online.The color palette leans into bold black and cobalt blue—a direct visual interpretation of “Black Diamond.” These colors not only tie into the brand name but also convey energy, power, and reliability. They’re used consistently across the website to reinforce brand recognition, guide visual flow, and distinguish key actions like bill payment or outage reporting.
Font choices were made with legibility and tone in mind. Clean, sans-serif typefaces give the site a contemporary, no-nonsense feel while remaining highly readable at every size.
Results
With a custom logo, carefully selected color palette, and accessible font pairings, Black Diamond Power now has a strong visual identity that extends well beyond their website. These foundational branding elements help establish credibility from the very first click and set the tone for how customers perceive and interact with the utility.The consistent use of color and typography brings a sense of order and clarity to the entire site experience. Visitors instinctively recognize where to click, what’s important, and which actions are available—all thanks to the thoughtful integration of branded visual cues.
Most importantly, the new branding creates lasting first impressions. For a utility entering the digital space for the first time, that kind of recognition—and confidence—is invaluable. The logo, colors, and fonts aren’t just design choices; they’re building blocks for a brand that’s ready to grow and connect with its community for years to come.
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Team Comments
The team at Black Diamond Power was eager to build a visual identity. They wanted to recognize their deep history and the critical service they provide to their customers. Overall, we all had fun with it and we're happy with how it turned out.
Director of Content & Design Operations
Websites are a powerful communication tool, and the team at Black Diamond Power is now set up to serve their customers on the digital side with their first-ever website. The Black Diamond team was great to work with through every step of the process and it was an honor helping them create a website that brings information and resources to the forefront for their customers.
Project Manager
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