A Redesigned Website Puts Indigenous Art in the Spotlight

Challenge: Since its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum in Phoenix has become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, unique architectural setting, educational programming and festivals. The museum aims to advance American Indian art and celebrate Indigenous creativity, culture, stories and voices. The Heard team wanted their new website to reflect the vitality of the on-campus experience as well as the museum’s evolution as an innovative arts leader. They also wanted a site that was responsive across devices and could serve as a nexus for ideas, experiences and a wide range of audience behaviors, from buying tickets and making donations to learning more about American Indian art.

Solution: C/A created a digital representation of the Heard Museum’s distinct perspective and breathtaking onsite experience. By integrating stunning static visuals and B-roll of museum spaces, exhibitions, experiences and artwork highlights, the new website conveys the excitement and breadth of a visit to this Southwestern treasure. The website also directs users to their desired actions quickly and efficiently with easy navigation and prominent calls to action. Our strategy:

• Prioritize key calls to action, including tickets, donations and memberships. Based on the museum’s top priorities, we placed “Buy Tickets,” “Membership” and “Donate” CTAs on the navigation bar, which stays with users as they tour the website. Additionally, we used the museum’s brand red to strategically draw users’ attention to the important actions and interactions on each page.
• Improve the site navigation and user experience. Beyond the CTAs, all of the site’s information is organized in simple, action-oriented categories — including “Visit,” “Learn” and “Support” — that provide clear paths to relevant content.
• Develop an easy-to-use calendar with search function. Calendar cards appear on the home page, and the full calendar features intuitive event filtering options, such as audience (adult, families) and event type (lectures, free events, etc.), so that users can quickly identify events they’d like to attend.
• Showcase upcoming, current and past exhibitions. A “Current Exhibitions” landing page features a list of visually appealing cards to let patrons know what will be on view during their visit. We also developed an automation to transition events from current to past, avoiding time-consuming maintenance. After their closing date, exhibitions leave the “Current Exhibitions” page and show up on the “Past Exhibitions” page as part of its growing archive.
• Educate web users about the collection and American Indian art. Any interaction with the Heard Museum — physical or digital — should promote the advancement of American Indian art. On the new website, pages were created to showcase each of the Heard’s 11 collections and artwork highlights. A content hub, titled “Stories,” features storytelling from Heard’s member magazine, EarthSong, alongside other content to encourage museum visits and a deeper exploration of American Indian art and history.

Visit the website.

A Design That Spotlights the Art

The art and architecture of the Heard Museum demanded a sleek, contemporary web design to match the beauty of its offerings. The museum’s collection shines in this digital format thanks to:

• Quality videography and gorgeous photography of the museum’s architecture and artworks
• A minimalist color palette that lets the featured artwork take center stage
• Customizable galleries and image components that offer flexibility for all shapes and sizes of art images
• Thoughtful design elements, such as the recurring arch icons and shapes, which draw inspiration from the building facade

FROM OUR CLIENT

— Sean Ornelas, Director of Marketing, Heard Museum