The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama have the most extensive range of specialist expertise and the broadest portfolio of drama, theatre and performance-related degree programmes available anywhere in Europe and wanted a new website to provide a window into life at Eton Avenue, the home of Central. Our challenge was to enhance the lesser-known courses, modernise the look and feel of the website and recommend ways of improving processes using digital.

We presented a number of concepts which provided a platform for photographic snapshots of a day at Central. Each concept was bold in contrast to the existing site, using strong imagery, big text and bright colours to show the energy of the school – an energy that we encountered when visiting the building during our research phase.

The design provides a clean, modern, visually strong site, with an improved user experience.  We worked with Central to craft a new, simpler navigation that breaks down Central’s offering thematically, instantly showing the range of courses on offer – from puppetry to set design – enabling the user to get to the courses quickly and find out more.  We also added the course finder functionality which offers a quick way of bringing information to the fore.

Most important to a student attending Central, however, is career prospects. A student’s online CV, enables agents to catch them before they graduate. An updated and modernised site means students no longer have to rely on staff to create these pages for them, as was the case previously. Instead they can create their own profiles and upload a range of content to them including photography and video.

The new website, much like Central, is confident, bold and delivers a more engaging experience. New functionality streamlines the way information can be found, and new imagery along with improved navigation reiterates focus on the wide selection of courses for careers ‘behind the scenes’.