VISUAL IDENTITY SYSTEM
UI/UX DESIGN
DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT
ACCESSIBILITY OPTIMIZATION
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT STRATEGY
UI/UX DESIGN
DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT
ACCESSIBILITY OPTIMIZATION
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT STRATEGY
Mary McDowell Friends School, a K—12 Quaker school in Brooklyn serving students with learning disabilities, was referred to us by another longtime client. In the middle of a redesign that wasn’t meeting expectations, they needed a partner who could step in, reimagine the site, and deliver a polished, accessible, and modern web presence—all on a reduced timeline. Just as importantly, the school needed a platform that their team could easily self-edit and continue to evolve over time (while also having a laugh).
This project was executed at MAVE Studio.
Our design direction integrated MMFS’s existing logo into a more expressive visual system. Sunbeams from the logo inspired background patterns, arrows, and asterisks, while the house motif became a framing device for photography and collage-style graphics. Cutout images of students added vibrancy and personality, grounding the design in the school community.
We softened MMFS’s hallmark green and shifted it to an accent role, building the palette around soft cream and deep forest green, balanced with muted purples, rich red, and a bright yellow to symbolize brilliance. Typography balanced warmth and rigor: Railroad Gothic ATF gave punchy energy to display headlines, P22 Mackinac Pro carried elegance for section headlines, and Area Normal provided clarity and accessibility for body copy, especially for dyslexic readers. This balance underscored the school’s rigorous academic program while keeping the design modern and approachable.
The redesigned website became a dynamic, accessible hub that better reflects the school’s spirit and mission. Clearer navigation, consistent calls-to-action, and powerful SEO and analytics tools made the site both user-friendly and future-ready. The project also became a springboard for refreshing MMFS’s visual identity, extending into a logo update. And our work continues today—we remain engaged on retainer, managing and maintaining the site to keep it secure, current, and aligned with the school’s evolving needs.
The redesigned website became a dynamic, accessible hub that better reflects the school’s spirit and mission. Clearer navigation, consistent calls-to-action, and powerful SEO and analytics tools made the site both user-friendly and future-ready. The project also became a springboard for refreshing MMFS’s visual identity, extending into a logo update. And our work continues today—we remain engaged on retainer, managing and maintaining the site to keep it secure, current, and aligned with the school’s evolving needs.