Port Regis: UX and Web Design
Iconic English Prep School
At a pivotal moment in its distinguished history, Port Regis, the iconic English Prep School nestled in the heart of Dorset, embarked on a journey of transformation. With the appointment of a new headmaster for the first time in over a decade, the school sought to weave its rich history and cherished traditions into a vibrant, modern narrative.
Services
- Digital Experience
- Web Design
Industries
- Education
Overview
Our mission was to capture the very essence of the Port Regis experience, illuminating its deeply-held values and showcasing the exceptional individuals and world-class facilities that define this remarkable institution. To emphasise what it means to be a pupil or parent at Port Regis
Immersing ourselves in the Port Regis experience
In order to fully understand what makes Port Regis so impressive we were invited down to get a total 360 experience of the school. Through staff interviews, dining with the pupils and getting to grips with the facilities – we became immersed in this totally unique and inspiring environment.
We learned unequivocally that this passion, distinctive ethos and spirit matters — this level of teaching brings more value to our lives, nurturing character and how to navigate life beyond the school, and only through close collaboration with key stakeholders could we bring these values to the forefront of their new digital presence.
Collaborative spirit
A rebrand was already underway when we joined the process, presenting a unique opportunity to shape the school’s visual language and develop a cohesive and powerful design system.
By leading the user experience design in parallel with the ongoing brand work, we were able to create a set of digital assets that were not only beautiful and engaging on-screen but also coordinated perfectly with the school’s offline identity.
Tradition & innovation
Preserving Port Regis’s storied history and traditional values was of paramount importance. This was achieved visually through the artful integration of storied graphics, elegant monograms, and the school’s roundel and revered motto: Altiora Petimus, “We seek higher things.”
The iconic arches of the original school building, still in use today, were a key visual motif, symbolising both a new beginning and the start of each student’s journey.
A user-centric digital transformation
Our process began with a comprehensive audit of the existing website, which had grown over the years to become confusing, resulting in a large number of pages that were rarely found by users. We identified key areas of importance and opportunities to merge and streamline content, resulting in a vastly improved user experience and a clear, intuitive site structure.
This holistic review also brought a crucial, yet often overlooked, audience into sharp focus: the parents. By understanding the needs and motivations of not only prospective parents but also current families and alumni, we were able to tailor the site’s architecture to serve all members of the Port Regis community.
At the core of the new website is a flexible and powerful content delivery system built on reusable content blocks. This empowers the Port Regis team to build and edit pages with speed and agility, and to tailor the structure to effectively engage their target audience.
A design that inspires
The profound sense of belonging that drove our design strategy is vividly brought to life through the stunning presentation of imagery. By utilising a dynamic range of aspect ratios, we created a visual experience that is both grandiose and intimate, conveying the extraordinary and sensory nature of a Port Regis education. Fullscreen video, towering images, and editorial-style displays, all framed by the symbolic archway, work together to tell the unique and compelling story of Port Regis.
