Most college and university websites look exactly the same – mind-numbingly-boring. And this is exactly what you should avoid when you have such a wide variety of potential target users – people like current and prospective students, professors, investors, parents of students…
A web site is the public face of a university and really needs to have a user-centric design that puts your core message across in a highly appealing manner.
On that note I thought I’d give you some inspiration with what I feel are some of the better university website designs out there.
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William & Mary
What I like: Bold animated header, superb navigation and sophisticated visuals.
Bates College
What I like: Bold animated header, easy navigation links.
Middlebury College
What I like: Site’s uniqueness that adds to its appeal and sets it apart from the rest, easy navigation.
Northland College
What I like: Clean look which makes all the elements on the page jump out, quirkiness in the font choice.
Biola Undergrad
What I like: Fun and flirty with its use of spring colours, great home page – students would want to explore and dive right in.
Champlain College
What I like: Classic feel, easy navigation.
Dickinson College
What I like: Bold sidebar with main menus, easy grid navigation.
Colby-Sawyer College
What I like: Minimalist style with lots of white space.
Oregon College of Art & Craft
What I like: Bold background, great visuals and typography.
Washtenaw Community College
What I like: Animated header images work a treat in establishing a connection, easy access to all information.
Warner Pacific College
What I like: Both the header and the background, lovely typography and colours.
Capitol College
What I like: A very serious looking website that works, the visuals and colours set the tone and college expectations.
Century College
What I like: Clean look with white background, excellent typography and choice of colours.
Global College
What I like: Inviting feel, great use of images in the header.
Youthworks College
What I like: Header with drop-down menus, easy navigation.
Hagerstown Community College
What I like: Classic look, but not dated, all information available at a glace.
Jamestown Community College
What I like: Aesthetically pleasing layout and navigation.
Hampshire College
What I like: Animated header with useful information layout.
Marlboro College
What I like: Simple layout that works.
Thomas Edison State College
What I like: Animated header, bright feel and easy access to all information.