DC Prep’s mission is to bridge the educational divide in Washington, DC, by increasing the number of students from underserved communities with the academic preparation and personal character to succeed in competitive high schools and colleges.

DC Prep’s old site was outdated, but the main issue was the inability to easily add pages, news, or announcements. This became a serious problem when COVID began to cause rapid changes that needed to be communicated quickly and clearly to nervous, overwhelmed families.

The content and structure of the site weren’t clear for prospective families, adding stress to the limited DC Prep staff as they attempted to guide parents through information that could easily be provided online.

With school closures and an enrollment drive around the corner, DC Prep came to us with an ambitious six-week turnaround time for getting a new website designed, rewritten, tested, and online.

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What we did:

DC Prep website design detail

The Solution

We were ready to meet this challenge, on time and on budget, with a design that was a better reflection of DC Prep: modern, bright, fun, and optimistic.

By completely overhauling the navigation, we created unique website segments and clear calls to action for all of their main visitor types, including prospective families, current students, and potential new staff.

Previously, the application process was vague and overwhelming. We created a new section for prospective families, including information on DC Prep, FAQs, and a step-by-step guide for applying.

We incorporated a bright red banner that appears on all pages that acts a key part of their announcement strategy. The optional banner allows DC Prep to clearly communicate critical news, such as COVID or weather-related closures.

The new site was launched a few days ahead of their registration drive, and the fun design and flexible system have made an enormous impact on DC Prep’s overall communications.

Announcement Bar

Announcement Bar

Post breaking news or an important announcement using a site wide announcement banner.

As a school it was important for the new site to easily communicate breaking or critical information, such as weather-related closures or COVID updates.

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Donations

Donations

Increase donation visibility with your most engaged audience: Your website visitors.

An online donation page is an easy, secure way of increasing your donations. We can help you set up a payment gateway or integrate your existing one into a donation form on your website.

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Drag-and-Drop Editing

Drag-and-Drop Editing

Style new website pages quickly, easily, and confidently.

All of our website designs are created with custom flexible content blocks (aka advanced custom fields repeaters) to ensure clients can perform updates with ease- and ensure the design stays consistent and mobile responsive.

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Looping Video

Looping Video

Grab visitor attention with a captivating looping video.

People respond positively to visual content; utilizing smash cut or looping video on your website is a great way to visually entice your visitors to explore the site further.

DC Prep utilized their own video clips to create a more welcoming homepage.

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Biography Grids

Biography Grids

Feature team members, board members, leadership, and more.

Utilizing a drag-and-drop ordering system and a fill-in-the-blank page editor, quickly add and remove biographies.

DC Prep uses this feature to highlight the experience, dedication, and diversity of their team.

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Copy Editing

Copy Editing

Bring your content to life through copy editing.

Most websites have baseline information that’s relevant and complete. By copy editing content the site will be more impactful, helping to get across relevant information faster.

DC Prep’s content was really old and the communications team was ready for a fresh set of eyes to help make it more appealing and educational to their core audiences.

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After
Before

Creating Clarity through Design

DC Prep was excited to move away from a dull, convoluted, and uninspiring site. We used modern fonts, more of their bright and child-friendly color palette, and vibrant videos to highlight clear calls to action; the site is performing better than ever.

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