New Website Design For An Award Winning University Enterprise Centre
Situated at Nottingham Trent University, The Dryden Enterprise Centre (DEC) is a beacon for entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. The four-storey hub is designed to nurture SMEs, start-ups, and founders with flexible workspaces, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, and vibrant event spaces, all supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
Despite its cutting-edge facilities, DEC faced significant challenges with its previous website: it lacked user-editing capabilities, felt outdated, and struggled to align with Nottingham Trent University’s dynamic brand essence.
Caroline Cox Marketing took on the challenge of revitalising DEC’s online presence, ensuring it not only reflected the company’s modern ethos but also empowered its team to manage content effectively. Discover how we transformed The Dryden Enterprise Centre’s digital platform to better showcase its offerings and enhance user engagement.
Client
The Dryden Enterprise Centre
Industry
University | Office & Event Space
Services
Website Design
Graphic Design
Copywriting Detail
All website copy supplied by the DEC team.
A More Engaging& Informative Website
Our first step was to consolidate all professional photography into a unified image bank, capturing the essence of The Dryden Enterprise Centre’s impressive facilities. These visuals not only inspired the layout and design of every web page but also played a crucial role in presenting technical information seamlessly. By strategically placing imagery throughout, we ensured that complex details were effortlessly communicated, enhancing the overall user experience and guiding visitors through a streamlined journey.
Integrating Nottingham Trent University’s official brand colours into DEC’s website was a delicate balance of homage and distinction. We reversed the hierarchy of branded colour use to reinforce the university’s identity while maintaining DEC’s unique character. This strategic use of colour strengthened the website’s connection to NTU, emphasising a sense of trust and familiarity among its diverse audience.
Incorporating abundant internal links and employing accented sub-headings are fundamental strategies for enhancing website navigation. Internal links improve user engagement by guiding visitors to related content within the site, encouraging exploration and prolonging their stay. Meanwhile, accented sub-headings serve as visual signposts, aiding users in quickly scanning and accessing pertinent information. Together, these elements create a user-friendly environment where information is easily accessible, ensuring a positive and productive browsing experience.
Negative space plays a crucial role in web design, particularly when dealing with extensive written content. With a website saturated with information, the judicious use of negative space allows content to breathe, making it more inviting and engaging for visitors seeking clarity and ease of navigation.
A high-contrast accent, with lots of negative space for visual clarity
Caroline Cox Marketing built the DEC website to embody a clean, sophisticated aesthetic with generous negative space that enhances readability and user engagement. Strategically incorporating NTU’s branded hot pink as an accent colour, we highlighted key areas of the website to draw attention to important information without overwhelming the overall design. This approach not only ensured visual hierarchy and clarity but also maintained alignment with Nottingham Trent University’s brand guidelines.
By carefully balancing the use of NTU’s branding elements with DEC’s unique identity, we created a cohesive and memorable online presence that resonates with both the university’s established image and DEC’s entrepreneurial spirit. The result is a website that not only showcases DEC’s offerings effectively but also strengthens its position within the NTU community and beyond.
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Headlines:
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Welcome to the Dryden Enterprise Centre, a vibrant hub in the heart of Nottingham City Centre designed to foster innovation and growth for entrepreneurs and businesses. Our state-of-the-art facility, part of the prestigious NTU ERDF Enterprise Innovation Centre project, offers a diverse range of workspaces – from flexible hot desks to fully serviced private offices.
What our client said:
Working with Caroline was so easy – the team very much respected and understood what we wanted and needed from the website, and didn’t try to over-complicate or over-sell, taking onboard all of our requests and acting on them. Everything was completed quickly, with excellent communication and support from start to finish. The end result is *chef’s kiss* everything we wanted. We’ve seen the level of quality enquiries go up, we’re visible to the customers we’re keen to work with. Overall we’re thrilled and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Caroline in the future. Thank you!
Katrina Starkie, Space and Community Manager – Dryden Enterprise Centre.