Geelong Arts Centre has been an integral part of the artistic community in Greater Geelong since 1981.
With performance spaces spanning theatre, music, dance, comedy and children’s programming, alongside venues for events, education and conferences, the Arts Centre is a key destination for both audiences and artists.
In 2018, the organisation took a significant step forward, refreshing its brand to support broader changes to its operating model and physical spaces.
With a new name, Geelong Arts Centre, and a dynamic identity in development, the next step was to express this evolution through a redesigned digital experience.
User experience
A strong digital experience is defined by how it works as much as how it looks. Clarity, responsiveness and ease of navigation are what shape how users move through a site and engage with its content.
The focus was on creating an intuitive journey, making it easier for users to discover events, explore programmes and complete bookings with minimal friction.
The process began with a simple question: who are the Arts Centre’s current and future audiences? To answer this, a comprehensive research programme was undertaken, including persona workshops, interviews, surveys, journey mapping and user flow analysis.
This led to the development of five core personas representing the breadth of the audience:
- The frequent visitor
- The occasional visitor
- The venue booker
- The new Greater Geelong professional
- The new Victorian or out-of-towner
Mapping each persona’s journey, from initial awareness through to the event experience and beyond, provided a clear understanding of user needs and informed a more considered, engaging experience.
Content and information architecture
With research and content audit complete, the focus shifted to defining a clearer information architecture. A revised sitemap was developed and tested, simplifying the structure and making navigation more transparent and user-friendly. User journeys were mapped against this structure to ensure key paths felt intuitive and aligned with audience needs.
Alongside this, the rollout of a new tone of voice required a coordinated update across a large and complex body of content. To manage this effectively, a single, centralised copy deck was established, creating a clear source of truth for all updates.
This collaborative approach brought stakeholders into the process, streamlining feedback and ensuring content remained accurate, consistent and aligned with the new brand direction.
Design
The website was developed in parallel with the evolving brand identity, requiring an iterative and collaborative approach.
Medium-fidelity designs were created early to establish direction, allowing the experience to take shape as the identity evolved. This ensured alignment across brand and digital without slowing delivery.
Close collaboration with the brand team also informed the digital application of the identity, contributing to guidelines that perform effectively across platforms.
A bespoke logo animation was developed to express the Arts Centre’s celebratory character. Through multiple iterations, the final result balances sophistication and energy, with subtle references to performance.
Development
The build was large and complex, incorporating animated elements, ticketing integrations, member logins and a range of supporting functionality.
Beyond delivering the design and UX, the platform needed to support a variety of internal requirements. Different teams, from box office and venue hire through to marketing, each required tailored functionality to support their workflows.
The result is a platform that balances front-end experience with operational needs, ensuring it performs effectively for both audiences and internal teams.
Built for scale and simplicity
A tailored system was developed to integrate detailed event data from the ticketing platform, while supporting the varied needs of internal teams. Granular permissions were introduced, allowing each department to manage its own content with confidence.
On the front end, a custom architecture enables a more fluid and responsive experience. This supports advanced filtering across events and calendars, making it easier for users to navigate a large and dynamic programme.
The result is a powerful and user-friendly platform that simplifies the management of complex data, while maintaining a seamless experience for audiences.
An exciting future for Geelong
The new website launched alongside the refreshed brand and completion of major building upgrades, marking a significant moment for the Arts Centre.
With further developments planned, the platform is designed to evolve in step, supporting a growing and increasingly diverse audience.
The result is a confident digital expression of the brand, reflecting both the momentum of Geelong and the Arts Centre’s role at the centre of its cultural future.
“Thanks so much for all your work on the website. From design to project management to development, the team have been awesome to work with!”
