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Top School Website Design Trends
Kealean Duffy and Kelly Wilson

Your school's website is often the first point of interaction with your audience, and when designed well, it can attract prospective families, support community communications, and engage your entire school community.

When users visit your site, it's as though they're meeting your school for the first time. You want to make sure that this first experience is positive so your school can attract new families and teachers, keep everyone in your school community up-to-date, support fundraising efforts, and stay in touch with former students.

Consider this: bad design can sometimes be even more noticeable because it sticks out like a sore thumb—poorly written copy, distracting colors, uninspiring photos…behind every great website is a high-quality design that guides and informs visitors while remaining almost invisible.

To stay ahead of the curve and connect with their communities, schools need to embrace the latest design trends and create a powerful user experience (UX).

The Impact of Effective School Web Design

The design elements bring your campus to life—compelling stories that showcase student success, user-friendly experiences that make information easy to find, and intuitive navigation and operation.

Some of the key elements that make websites stand out include:

  • Bold color combinations: Using colors in a way that grabs attention.
  • Gradient effects: Blending colors smoothly for visual interest.
  • Strategic use of shadows: Adding depth and dimension to the design.
  • Organic shapes: Using shapes inspired by nature for a softer feel.
  • Custom illustrations: Creating unique visuals that reflect the school.
  • Textured elements: Adding a sense of realism to the design.
  • Expressive typography: Using fonts to convey emotion and style.
  • Engaging animations: Adding subtle movements to capture attention.

These elements work together to create a UX that attracts prospective families, strengthens community engagement, and drives enrollment.

screenshot of central catholic homepage

Unleashing Creative Potential

Forward-thinking schools are moving beyond the typical "grid-based" website design and embracing more visual and engaging layouts to express their personality and create a lasting impression on visitors. By embracing attention-grabbing headlines, large visuals, and custom artwork to engage their audience, year after year, more school websites are evolving into platforms for expression.

What does this look like in practice?

  • Visually Driven Storytelling: Schools are using large, high-quality images and videos to draw visitors in and create an immersive experience.
     
  • Bold Typography and Color Choices: Typography is being used in more creative ways to make headlines pop and guide the visitor's eye. Schools are also moving beyond standard color palettes and embracing bold, unexpected combinations that reflect their brand.
     
  • Custom Illustrations and Graphics: Instead of relying on generic stock photos (a big no-no), schools are investing in custom illustrations and graphics, anything from unique icons representing school values to hand-drawn illustrations that add a more personal touch.
     
  • Interactive Elements: Interactive elements like animations and subtle transitions are used to engage visitors and make the website feel more dynamic. Animated buttons, scrolling effects that reveal content in interesting ways, or subtle hover effects that add a layer of interactivity are all impactful.
SUSD mockup on a laptop

Schools like Central Catholic High School and Scottsdale Unified School District are great examples of visually stunning sites. These school district's website designs look great, and they still communicate their strengths effectively.

school year abroad screenshot

Weaving Compelling Narratives

Schools are constantly finding new and creative ways to connect with their audiences. Instead of simply presenting facts and figures, they’re using storytelling to create engaging online experiences, explain complex ideas, create emotional connections with prospective families and students, and ultimately inspire action.

How can schools effectively tell their story online?

  • Create a Narrative Arc: Just like a good book or movie, a school website should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The homepage might set the stage by introducing the school's mission and values. As visitors explore further, they go further into the story, learning about academic programs, student life, and community involvement. Finally, clear calls to action guide them toward the next step, whether it's scheduling a tour or applying for admission.
     
  • Use Authentic Voices: Sharing quotes from students, parents, and alumni can add a powerful personal touch to a school's story. These voices provide real-life, authentic examples of the school's impact and help visitors connect.
     
  • Incorporate Media: Videos, photos, blog posts, and integrated social media posts can bring a school's story to life and capture the excitement of a school event.
     
  • Highlight the School's Unique Qualities: What makes your school special? Is it the innovative curriculum, the faculty, or the strong athletics program? Use storytelling to highlight and show visitors what sets your school apart.
WEstminster School mockup on laptop

School Year Abroad and Westminster Public Schools use a variety of storytelling techniques to engage visitors and build stronger connections with prospective families and students.

Rugby School Thailand on a laptop

Enhancing User Experience

A positive user experience means creating a website that’s not only visually appealing but also easy to navigate, understand, and interact with. This means putting yourself in the shoes of your website visitors and anticipating their needs.

How can schools achieve a positive UX?

  • Intuitive Navigation: A well-organized website with clear menus and labels helps visitors find the information they need quickly and efficiently. This might involve using a clear visual hierarchy, dropdown menus that categorize information logically, or a search bar that allows visitors to find specific content.
     
  • Mobile-First Approach: With more and more people accessing websites on their phones, it's crucial to design with mobile devices in mind. This means ensuring the website is responsive and adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes. Text should be easy to read, buttons should be large enough to tap, and navigation should be streamlined for smaller screens.
     
  • Accessibility for All: A website should be accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. This means using sufficient color contrast, providing alternative text for images, and ensuring the website is compatible with screen readers.
     
  • Clear and Concise Content: Website visitors often skim content rather than reading every word, so use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and visuals to break up text and make it easier to digest. Avoid jargon and use clear, concise language that everyone can understand.
     
  • Strategic Use of Interactive Elements: Interactive elements like videos, image galleries, and forms can enhance the user experience, but it's important to use them strategically. Too many interactive elements can be overwhelming and distracting.
old trail homepage screenshot

Rugby School Thailand and Old Trail School are excellent examples of clean, modern, and easy-to-navigate sites that engage all visitors to explore further and learn more.

ancillae mockup on desktop

Crafting Purposeful Content

When families are so overloaded with information, it's more important than ever for schools to create website content that is focused, engaging, and easy to digest. Remember, website visitors don't read every word. Their attention is limited, so it's important to deliver a focused, impactful experience. Every piece of content should serve a clear purpose and contribute to a positive user experience.

What does it mean to create purposeful content?

  • Prioritize Your Message: Before creating any content, ask yourself: What is the most important message I want to convey on this page? What do I want visitors to take away? This helps you stay focused and avoid overwhelming visitors with unnecessary information.
     
  • Know Your Audience: Who are you trying to reach with your content? Are you speaking to prospective parents, current students, or alumni? Tailor your language, tone, and content format to the specific needs and interests of your target audience.
     
  • Keep it Concise and Accessible: Use clear, concise language that everyone can understand. Avoid jargon and technical terms that might confuse visitors. Break up large blocks of text with headings, subheadings, bullet points, and visuals to make it easier to scan and digest.
     
  • Use a Variety of Content Formats: Different audiences engage with different types of content. Use a mix of text, images, videos, and interactive elements to cater to different learning styles and preferences.
     
  • Provide Clear Calls to Action: What do you want visitors to do after reading your content? Make it clear what the next step should be, whether it's scheduling a tour, contacting admissions, or downloading a brochure.

Ancillae–Assumpta Academy and The Peck School–the content on these private schools' website designs is focused, visually appealing, and easy to find.

park school in a laptop mockup

Website Features to Consider for Theme Designs

Many of these trends are still applicable to schools using Finalsite's Theme designs. Just like Guajome Charter Public Schools has done, a mobile-friendly design, purposeful content, and storytelling can be used regardless of whether the design is custom or theme-based.

Guajome Charter laptop mockup

If your school's website uses a pre-made design (like a Theme), you can still make it look great! The best school website design templates still use many of the ideas mentioned, like storytelling, easy access to resources, and a responsive design. The best school website design companies will help you balance the aesthetic appeal, user experience, and content of your site to meet your goals.

Key Takeaway

By focusing on creative design, user experience, and storytelling, your school can develop a strong online presence that accurately reflects its character and meets the needs of your community. However, it's important to balance what's fresh with what's effective. Not every trend will be appropriate for your school, but staying informed about modern design trends can inspire your future projects.

website redesign playbook

Kealan Duffy

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

As one of the Creative Managers at Finalsite, Kealan supports our team of award-winning designers in the creation of innovative websites for schools worldwide. Kealan has a passion for goal-driven design and has been working with schools since 2009 as a designer and consultant to understand their needs and define the creative direction of their website projects.


 

Kelly Wilson headshot

As Director of Creative Services, Kelly leads Finalsite’s design team, overseeing the creative process and guiding the team to create beautiful, user-centered websites. In the 13 years that Kelly has been with Finalsite, she has designed 100+ websites for schools around the world and won over 30 industry design awards. In her spare time, she is usually running after her daughters, spending time with her husband and family, or upcycling furniture.


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