Brief
This revised website had to be aligned to NYOS's culture, offering & ambition - building on success to date and creating a user focussed, future-proof digital asset to support plans to generate more awareness of the holistic benefits of ensemble music-making for all & inspiring young people to realise their potential.
At this stage in their digital journey, NYOS needs a partner who is proactive & fully supportive of their goal to engage more young musicians with a Scottish connection and from greater diversity of backgrounds.
This new site must fulfil NYOS’s role as a creative youth organisation – through an expandable platform primed for engaging & inspiring storytelling as well as being a practical informational resource.
Beyond The Persona - Designing A Digital Space That Truly Speaks Their Language
To realise core goals, we first worked closely with the Team at NYOS to profile their most valued users (participants, parents/guardians & donors), before combining with the organisations values & key selling messages.
This ensures all decision making centres on their needs - resulting in an enhanced user experience, optimised for engagement & conversion.
Built For The Bold - A Digital Canvas For Every Voice
With brand discovery & profiling complete, we then moved onto Design & UX.
As the organisation's key brand touchpoint, the user experience had to reflect:
- Brand values - inclusive, passionate, empowering and inspiring: an experience that communicates the core idea that everyone has a part to play at NYOS
- Brand positioning - an orchestra is also collective, made up of uniquely talented individuals - for young people in particular this is key as they seek a sense of belonging as well as a chance to shine
Closely aligned to NYOS's brand guidelines, the site aesthetic leans on a vibrant, energetic and diverse palette of colours while also providing scope to visually communicate a range of moods.
Big, bold imagery reflects the playfulness and passion of NYOS across musicians, audience, and staff alike.
Unrestricted Creativity - The Flexible CMS That Grows With NYOS's Vision
Umbraco was the platform of choice to drive NYOS's new site and is ideal for arts organisations due to its flexibility, security, and "content-first" approach:
- Custom CTA Integration: seamlessly connects with payment gateways and CRMs (like Beacon CRM) to streamline donations and bursary applications
- Dynamic Performance Management: easily handles complex scheduling, venue details, and high-fidelity media for show promotions
- Structured Storytelling: the Block Grid editor allows Team NYOS to create visually rich pages for "musical journeys" without needing technical skills
- Scalable Architecture: Umbraco grows with your outreach, e.g. supporting member portals for bursary students and donors / community hubs
- Zero License Fees: as open-source software, more budget remains for the arts
