St. Cloud Technical & Community College
Discovery Leads to Success
CMS
Drupal
Services
Strategy, UX, Design, Content, Development
Launched
2023
THE CHALLENGE
Branching Beyond “Technical School”
St. Cloud Technical & Community College (SCTCC) was ready for a website redesign that included updating to the latest version of Drupal and improving their brand storytelling and overall user experience throughout their site.
Originally founded as a tech school, SCTCC had recently seen an uptick specifically in its transfer liberal arts programs. This project was an opportunity to lean into that growing audience while also maintaining their roots in programming for the trades.
A deep discovery process, highlighted by multiple user surveys, market research, and several stakeholder interviews, revealed lots of opportunities to strike that balance. This was an all-hands-on-deck project, resulting in an award-winning website design that also met the needs of the technology team. Together, we:
Learn more about how SCTCC reinvented itself.
More Visitors. Higher Enrollment.
While a nearby 4-year university saw a 1% increase in enrollment following a statewide trend to provide free college tuition, St. Cloud saw a massive jump of 14%. That far outpaced the statewide average increase of 8%.
CONTENT & UX
Connecting With Users Old and New
SCTCC had not updated its brand messaging in close to a decade, moving from a technical-heavy “Education That Works” tagline to its current “Make it Happen” tagline. Without a full brand refresh, the content team helped bridge a gap between their former and future brands with a series of home page headlines centered around what “Matters.” Make it Matter…Programs That Matter…A Future That Matters.
Our UX designers created a career finder based on the Holland Code, a job classification system. The unique discovery tool allows users to browse programs based on their personality type—not necessarily by academic program area or course interest.
You have exceeded our expectations. I am continuously very impressed with how knowledgeable you all are and how well you communicate with one another.
DESIGN
Award-Winning Visual Design
Building on the discovery work to branch into new terrain, the design team selected a palette of bold colors. Along with the hefty Stratos typeface, they help deliver the message that SCTCC is far more than your average trade school.
All of this came together in a vibrant, audience-forward, interactive design that set St. Cloud apart from its competition while spotlighting important content and calls to action.
St. Cloud’s website redesign won numerous awards for its outstanding design, from the Education Digital Marketing Awards to the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations.
DEVELOPMENT
Built to Last
Working with an experienced in-house development team, we were able to create flexible, dynamic layout templates while upgrading in Drupal to ensure the site can adapt and grow. Plus, our collaborative approach to deployment means St. Cloud’s team is well-prepared to manage and evolve the site smoothly post-launch.
We would love to hear from you
Want to learn more about this project or engage in a conversation about challenges at your institution?