Historic University, Modern Experience
The University of Virginia is a top-ranked research university in a charming college town. But those virtues were buried in a site that was aging fast, weighed down by marketing-speak and impersonal images that didn’t reflect UVA’s recent major rebranding.
The Challenge
From the moment that UVA’s audience—including prospective students and faculty, parents and donors—landed on the homepage, they got lost in a labyrinth of seemingly disconnected microsites. We needed to bring the modern UVA experience front and center, bring a new brand strategy to life that re-positioned the University for the future, and connect with a wide array of audiences.
The Solution
We have worked to immerse the audience in the spirited life and gripping work that define the UVA community. Exemplifying our perpetual goal to show, not tell, we let real students narrate their academic and social life at UVA through beautifully produced, first-person videos. In-depth profiles of faculty at work replaced sterile summaries. Punctuating the site throughout, stand-alone statistics create graphically striking proof of the school’s tangible impact. And we retooled the Drupal CMS to make it easy for UVA administrators to refresh those stories and components as needed. It was also key that we highlight the school’s social channels, essential to current generations of applicants for fast, direct communication with the school.
The Result
UVA’s redesigned site stands out from those of its peers not only because it’s pleasing to the eye and intuitive to navigate. Visitors to the site almost step inside Charlottesville, welcomed by contemporary images and language that convey pride and confidence in UVA, immediate answers to audience members’ questions, and compelling calls to action to take the next step toward becoming a part of UVA themselves.
Awards and Acclaim
2017 IMA Best in Class - University