CADVC
Discover how Prototypical rebuilt CADVC’s website in under nine months, transforming a static site into a vibrant, accessible digital flagship that elevated the organization’s voice in the arts and cultural space.
The ask
CADVC, part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is a hub for contemporary art, design research, and cultural programming. Its previous site was a static template shared by various departments across UMBC — intentionally generic and lacking personality. This setup buried exhibitions, created accessibility gaps, and made updates cumbersome, ultimately holding the organization back.
Following a rigorous RFP process, they selected us to design, develop, and launch a digital flagship that would convey CADVC’s unique mission and support rapid content updates. We set out to rebuild their site in under a year.
The new site launched alongside the start of the school year, enabling visitors and scholars to engage deeply with CADVC’s programming and archives in an accessible digital environment.
Project highlights
- User research
- Modular CMS
- Responsive web development
- Visual design
- WordPress
- Content strategy
The work
Prototypical worked closely with CADVC staff and university stakeholders through research and workshops to identify the site’s core needs. We discovered the previous site, a static template used across UMBC departments, lacked personality and buried exhibitions beneath outdated layouts, while accessibility gaps left many users behind.
Our approach focused on creating a flexible platform that would highlight current exhibitions and publications while honoring past shows, all while ensuring full compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. We emphasized the academic integrity of CADVC’s extensive archives, treating them as valuable scholarly resources rather than mere filler. To empower the staff, we developed a modular content management system that enables rapid content updates without CMS limitations.
The design direction emphasized clarity and calm confidence, using clean typography, intuitive interfaces, and a muted palette that allows the artwork to shine.
The result
The new CADVC website serves as both a dynamic gallery and a cultural archive, bringing clarity and accessibility to exhibitions and publications. The site empowers staff with tools to update content quickly and supports the institution’s mission to engage diverse audiences.
