Work

A Real-world Redesign for One of Minnesota’s Best Universities

Client

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Industry:

Services:

A stylized photo of Minnesota State University Mankato with the MSU logo.

Updating the design for Minnesota State University Mankato in a way that didn’t remake the entire website.

Big ideas. Real-world thinking. Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) — the second-largest university in Minnesota and a crown jewel of the Minnesota State network of universities — understands what it takes to succeed.

Which is why when MSU came to Blend for their new site refresh, we were excited and proud to be on board — not only for the opportunity to make them look great, but because we had proven our work over the past decade as past partners.

Audience-centric design.

Full-site redesigns begin with research, discovery, and a lot of interviews. For MSU, this meant connecting with everyone from incoming freshmen to the parents of past students. Breaking these audiences into tidy groups is not easy, which is why Blend focuses less on strict personas and more on general “archetypes,” subsets of behaviors that represent a user pathway rather than a whole person.

With audiences and outcomes determined, Blend was able to work with MSU to help determine the best way to address user-focused pathways and answer key questions: how do parents influence their kids’ decisions?; how do potential research partners find their way to the right departments?; how do trailblazing students — those whose parents did not attend university — navigate the complexities of university admissions?

This focus on key audiences helped shape the design — to the point that MSU even published our “audience and outcomes” findings live on their site!

Screenshot of the Minnesota State University Mankato home page at desktop width. Screenshot of the Minnesota State University Mankato home page at mobile width.

A new homepage highlighted both the updated branding and MSU's welcoming campus.

A new look for the Mavericks.

Meanwhile, while site design was going through its initial planning phases, MSU was working through its own makeover. The site’s redesign dovetailed nicely into a broader brand refresh, which featured:

  • A cohesive visual identity with updated logos, colors, and typography.
  • Consistent messaging that aligns with the university's values and mission, including an increased focus on storytelling.
  • Resources and templates beyond the website, even including tools to help student organizations maintain brand consistency.

This went as far as rebranding certain departments to focus on the words that real people use during their university search. And, it shifted our design work beyond a simple refresh: a new brand identity brings with it a new design system, as existing templates require more than just a new coat of paint and a swapped out logo. Blend worked with MSU to make sure that every element reflected not only the graphic elements of the brand, but also the spirit and goals of the new brand itself.

Screenshot of the Minnesota State University Mankato biology page at desktop width. Screenshot of the Minnesota State University Mankato biology page at mobile width.

An updated program model moved away from departments, and toward useful information on the discipline itself.

Improved tools and structure.

One of the most important things we heard during research is that students and alumni don’t necessarily identify with MSU as a whole as much as they identify with their programs within MSU. What’s more, students don’t really identify at all with “departments.”

With this, we proposed organizing academic content around individual programs, rather than broken apart across departments. This decision led to several new templates, including an updated programs landing page focused on real-world terms (Biology, Accounting) rather than departmental hierarchy. Additionally, an updated program content type helped walk a potential student through the benefits of that program — from degrees and resources to a literal list of potential careers and salary.

Finally, integration with MSU’s existing academic catalog led to a refresh of how students access and maintain their course load, with data pulled directly into the new site design rather than the awkward handoff we see on other university sites. The course catalog integration also served as a perfect example of Blend’s partnership with MSU — our design was integrated by MSU’s internal development team to help make the cleanest connection between students and the catalog itself.

And beyond.

Big ideas need a big site. And real-world thinking means being realistic about scope. While Blend helped build the new Optimizely site for MSU, MSU themselves began the long work of site migration. Rather than hold tight until everything was perfect, MSU is taking a measured and logical approach, rebuilding sections of the site one at a time. This means we’re able to focus new design on the most important audiences — potential students and their influencers — while still providing easy access to current content.

From understanding MSU’s audiences to connecting with them where they are, the new MSU site is poised for the future. Blend is proud of the work we did on this site — but, more than that, we’re proud of our partnership with Minnesota State University, Mankato. Go Mavs!

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