Clarity. Character. Information. Inspiration. 

Beam & Hinge built a website for Friends Academy 1810 that shows how the 200-year-old school is preparing children to build – and thrive in – a modern society. And, now, we are proud to announce that we have received a Web Excellence Award for the design and development of FriendsAcademy1810.org. The Web Excellence Awards recognize innovation and superior performance in several categories, and the Friends Academy 1810 website was recognized in the School & University category.

Friends Academy is a coeducational, independent day school in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, serving students in Early Childhood through Grade 8. School leadership approached Beam & Hinge at a moment when it faced increasing competition for student enrollment in the region. The school needed a site to support its marketing efforts — to highlight its tradition, its strong sense of community, and its specialty offerings for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. The site also needed to serve as an operational command center for currently enrolled families.

To address current and potential Friends Academy families clearly, we implemented a double-navigation bar that separated information and functions for the two groups.

It was important to school leadership that the site embody the school’s friendly, open environment. Curved lines and organic shapes loosen the formality of a school that’s operated for more than 200 years, while the occasional use of textures found on campus harkens to its rich history.

The Friends Academy website holds a considerable amount of written content. Design choices as seemingly simple as font size, spacing, and information chunking keep the information accessible, not overwhelming.

We love working with schools and other education organizations. If you’re thinking about a new site, let’s talk!