Simple. Accessible. Beautiful.
The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London has a rich history of fostering creative talent and pushing the boundaries of movement and expression. After a pitch process we were appointed to design, develop, and deliver a new website for the school, the brief issued was both inspiring and ambitious. From the outset the objectives were clear: to create a simple, accessible, and beautiful website that conveyed the emotive essence of dance. We wanted visitors to the site to feel the energy, artistry, and passion of the students as though they were physically present during a class or a performance.
Dance is a universal language, capable of evoking emotions and telling stories without words. To understand this better, we started by immersing ourselves in the world of Rambert. We attended the school in Twickenham and sat in on classes, rehearsals, spoke with dancers and teachers, doing our utmost to capture the unique energy that defines the Rambert school. This element was crucial to ensure the website would resonate authentically with the school’s ethos and students.
Our design process began with looking at how to translate movement into a digital medium. Dance is inherently dynamic, and we wanted the website to feel alive and engaging but at the same time be aware that the site needed to give prospective students a lot of clear and unambiguous information. We centred our concept around three key themes:
- Movement: Subtle animations and transitions to mimic the grace and rhythm of dance.
- Emotion: A visual approach that evokes the joy, struggle, and beauty embodied in dance education and performance.
- Togetherness: Delivering a sense of belonging for prospective students, alumni, and supporters.
The result was a clean layout with ample space, allowing the teaching and or performance photography to take centre stage. Elegant, modern fonts that balanced readability with artistic flair. A combination of clear neutral tones and bold accent colours, reflecting the school’s balance of tradition and innovation.
In conclusion, designing the new website for The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance was a great opportunity that allowed us to push creative and technical boundaries. The final product is a testament to the power of storytelling through design, blending aesthetics, functionality, and emotion to create a digital experience as captivating as the art of dance itself.
