Twelve years ago, a dream was formed on the back of a lobster boat deep off the coast of Maine. This dream was to start a community music school that would provide music lessons to any committed student regardless of their financial constraints.

Founder and director Tom U went on a few years later to realize his dream in the creation of Midcoast Music Academy (MCMA). Starting with a rented room above Main Street and two students, MCMA grew rapidly into a thriving nonprofit with seven faculty members and over one hundred and fifty students.

What does a growing school with employees and triple-digit students need? A website: a functional and aesthetically pleasing website that would effectively communicate both the mission and important sign up information.

MCMA had a website, but it contained several issues. Among them was unclear visual branding, large amounts of text that confused the audience, unclear user journeys, and more.

In 2020, I worked at MCMA as both a faculty member and the Communications Coordinator. I had years of history and deep institutional knowledge, having worked there since 2017 full time. The Board of Directors tasked me with updating the visuals and redoing the website.