From static pages to a strategic,
scalable platform
A more vibrant digital expression of the district
Although the brief referenced creativity and vibrancy, the real challenge was more fundamental. Colmore’s existing website no longer reflected the organisation’s strategy or the place it represents.
The site was difficult to navigate, visually flat and structurally rigid. Content felt disconnected and the experience failed to convey the energy, diversity and momentum of the district. What should have been a confident digital presence had become a constraint.
Building on the new brand guidelines by Common Curiosity we used brand as a structural tool, not just a visual one. Colour was applied more deliberately across the site, with transitions that help orient users, signal different content areas and create a sense of flow.
This approach allowed the website to feel more expressive and dynamic without sacrificing clarity or usability. The end result is a balanced platform where vibrant brand expression and well-structured content work together — supporting both the story of the place and the organisation’s future growth.
Before & After
A connected content model
The website needed to show how everything happening in the district connects. Events, articles, businesses, projects, working groups and map locations are all closely linked, but the previous structure treated them as standalone pages. This made the site feel fragmented and limited how content could be explored or reused.
We addressed this by designing the website around a shared tagging system. Every content type is structured using consistent tags. This allows relationships to surface automatically across the site, without manual duplication.
The result is a connected platform where content works together, making the site easier to navigate, manage and grow.
Improving navigation
Making the website easier to manage
The website needed to do more than WordPress alone could realistically handle.
Managing live offers and promotions inside the CMS would have meant constant manual updates and duplicated effort — something the team simply didn’t have capacity for.
Instead, we used API integrations to connect the website directly to Colmore’s city app. The app acts as the main system for managing offers, discounts and vouchers, while the website pulls that data in automatically and displays it in the right places.
This approach extends the website beyond WordPress, turning it into a platform that connects to other systems rather than trying to replace them. The result is a streamlined setup where content stays up to date, duplication is avoided, and the website works as part of a wider digital ecosystem — not another tool the team has to manage.
Every Pixel, Everywhere
Feeling like your messaging is holding you back?
When strategy moves on but the site doesn’t, growth slows and trust erodes.
Struggling to get buy-in?
The No-Brainer Business Case helps you turn that frustration into a clear, credible case decision-makers can’t ignore — so you can secure budget and move forward with confidence.
See our other case studies
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