From Campus to Screen: The Overlake School Website Redesign

The Overlake School is a vibrant educational community for grades 5-12, where curiosity is nurtured, character is shaped, and every student is known as an individual. With a stunning campus just outside Seattle, Overlake blends academic rigor with joy, purpose, and belonging. When we first evaluated the school’s website, it was clear that the site didn’t fully reflect this spirit. It focused heavily on academics, underplaying the warmth, balance, and student-centered culture families experience on campus.
Our goal was to design a website that authentically captures the Overlake experience while serving the practical needs of students, parents, faculty, and donors. To understand the school’s culture and visitor expectations, we conducted a discovery process including stakeholder interviews, competitive audits, a website audit, focus groups, and on-campus observation. This allowed us to identify gaps in the current site and uncover the narratives that truly represent life at Overlake.
The UX strategy centered on storytelling, clarity, and intuitive navigation. We developed a content framework that put students at the heart of every page while providing clear guidance for key audiences. We reworked the information architecture, defined visitor flows for admissions and giving, and designed conversion funnels that felt helpful, not intrusive.
The redesign combined thoughtful copywriting, a refreshed visual identity, and custom Drupal development. Subtle animations, engaging imagery, and custom illustrations highlight real student life rather than staged perfection. The color palette and typography were carefully chosen to feel grounded yet approachable.
Before launch, we rigorously tested performance, accessibility, and cross-device compatibility. The result is a website that feels alive, intuitive, and true to Overlake’s culture. This project demonstrates how a school website can go beyond information delivery to convey warmth, community, and the lived experience of campus life, bridging the gap between digital and real-world engagement.