CalArts was founded in 1961 by Walt and Roy Disney, as an inclusive home for artists collaborating across disciplines. Nearly 65 years later, it is still what Calarts calls “a fiercely countercultural version of Disney’s utopian concept.” In the eyes of the world it’s a premier West Coast arts institution, offering degree programs across six disciplines of art, critical studies, dance, film/video, music and theater.
Figma
Our discovery process revealed their challenges, goals and opportunities. The existing site was 8+ years old and didn’t meet accessibility standards. It was full of rich arts content, news and faculty profiles, but there was little definition and promotion of what makes CalArts unique from other art schools. And each school was on a separate subdomain, making universal changes difficult, and governance even harder.
Their vision was a beautiful, functional, accessible site that engaged their diverse audiences, reinforced their position as the most prestigious art school on the west coast, and was easy to manage. An essential outcome: it had to feel like Calarts.
After a series of stakeholder interviews to understand internal goals and priorities, NewCity undertook audience research for insight into the needs of two prospective student groups. We did enrollment journey mapping to help build strategies for IA, navigation structure and enrollment conversion paths. Then we outlined content strategy and messaging to capture the heart of the CalArts experience, and to support differentiated storytelling across the six schools.
