New Middlebury Site Features Deep Content, Innovative Design

Last month, Middlebury launched it’s newly made over Web site. Take a look before you read further and see what you think.

IMO, It’s different, in a good way. The colorful, innovative design at the top of the page invites exploration and interaction. It provides a unique structure for a large amount of content. It’s an excellent combination of content, design, and technology.

It also is a respite from the usual parade of big graphic at the top, content to the left, content to the right, content acros the bottom that so many edu and other sites feature now. Nothing wrong with that kind of design, it just gets to be same-old, same-old after a while. For example, check out this Showcase of Academic and Higher Education Websites from Smashing Magazine. Many excellent examples of great design here. And, it could be argued, readers know what to expect when they visit sites like these … features at the top, often with large photos and sometimes videos, with more substantial or current news to either side below, along with navigation.

On the other hand, the Middlebury design could be just the thing for a college that wants to signal that it’s different and happy to say so. For potential students, that could be a good thing as they hop from Web site to Web site trying to make decisions about where to apply and attend. This is a site what would stand out from the pack.

The Middlebury site provides features at the top with a unique features carousel . It provides readers with access to a large amount of easy-to-browse content. As of late March, about 50 stories were featured, ranging from student profiles to “How to Take a Good Picture.” There also is a blank bar at the top that allows readers to easily contribute their own story to the mix.

To find out more about the design, you can read this report from the unveiling of the design in July 2009. There are reactions to the design in the comments at the bottom, some pro and some con. One developer who responded called it a “great balance of simplicity, interactivity, and style.” Another reader say it’s a “great way to show people who much is happening here.” A critic noted that the site emphasizes design over views of the beautiful Middlebury campus. That’s true, too.

For more about the redesign process, you can read this Facebook page set up to gather public reaction to the site and the redesign process.

The site runs on a Drupal CMS and was designed by White Whale Web Services in Oakland, CA.