Forming the minds of the future requires a top-notch website that is easy to navigate and portrays the fun-filled world of a charter school.
The Project
It is always a pleasure to work with University View Academy to help portray the amazing work they do in the educational system. We at Gatorworks have had the opportunity to design and develop a wonderful site for the Academy not once but twice. Our team worked vigorously to ensure the importance of the Academys’ work with their students and parents was seen throughout the site in a clean and modern manner. We always enjoy our team working with the Academy and helping them grow in their success.
Website Goals
One of the primary goals of the new site was to ensure that all the required pieces of information were shown on the website without having to search for them. In addition, the new design and layout of the site better represent the technology-based functionality of the school while also condensing the content in a more organized format. We focused on creating a modernized design with an optimal layout across all platforms. With all of this in mind, Gatorworks ensured the new website represented what the Academy does and where people need to go in an easily accessible experience that will help users find what they need to enroll.
Research & Design
For University View Academy’s website, the graphic design approach strikes a balance between appealing to potential students and their parents. The design focuses on a clean and efficient system that ensures ease of navigation and access to essential information. At the same time, a playful aesthetic is integrated to inject a sense of vibrancy and engagement, particularly appealing to younger audiences. This dual approach ensures that both students and parents find the website inviting and user-friendly.
One of the key elements of this design strategy is the use of real-life photos featuring students and families engaged in various activities related to online learning. These images not only add authenticity but also accurately depict the experience of attending University View Academy. By showcasing real faces and experiences, the website fosters a sense of connection and trust, making it more relatable and compelling for both potential students and their parents. Overall, our approach aims to create an inviting and informative online platform that effectively represents the unique offerings that make University View Academy one of the most innovative online charter schools.
Portraying a Charter School
When people think of school, they don’t normally think of an all-online-based system. In the Academy’s case, their students and teachers work through an online system rather than in an in-person classroom setting. So, in order to properly portray the benefits of an online school through a website, Gatorworks worked on many different avenues to do so, starting with the home page.
One of the larger requests from the client at kickoff was to utilize more imagery and video throughout the site, as they had just recently had a big photoshoot for this purpose. Our design and development met to discuss our options on unique ways to do so. One of the main ideas that came from that was to utilize the different video spots the client had to create a video section on the homepage that is not only live when still but, when clicked upon, opens up a whole new video.
The client raved over this idea when it was presented in our wireframes and design stage and continues to hear good things about it from prospective families as it helped showcase the true picture of what a charter school is.
Project Summary
Overall, the new and improved website has created an exciting new view of a charter school, and the Academy is booming with excitement just as much as we are. We always enjoy working with past clients to help them grow in their endeavors. In this case, it is even more special as we were able to be a part for the 2nd time in building their website.