Through re-envisioning their brand and website design, we worked with mediate to create a digital presence for arbitrate.com that they could be proud of. This new accessible and contemporary design will support the mediate's mission to become the leading players in the industry and will support more people to easily access the mediation support they require.
Design challenge
The user interface and logo design were reminiscent of an earlier decade, which was holding arbitrate.com back. Due to the cluttered design of the website, lots of valuable content was getting lost amongst the noise. We needed the design to help drive people to key areas of the website, such as the ‘search for a arbitrator’ function. While we were working with a WordPress template, mediate wanted arbitrate.com to feel like a bespoke design.
The mediate logo needed to be similar to previous logos so that users felt comfortable with the refresh, while also looking modern, professional and fitting for the industry. The logo also needed to embody connection and sit comfortably with the other brands within the wider mediate.com and arbitrate.com family.
Approach
We began by meeting with the mediate team to learn more about the history of the brand, their preferred visual direction and their plans for the future of the company.
Creating a new design direction
Our design team set out to create a modern and clean design that was accessible and responsive across desktop and mobile. We focused on the key areas of the site, such as the home page, article listing, article detail, mediator search module, mediator listing and content page. Inspired by the work of mediate.com, our design direction was heavily influenced by editorial and academic digital experiences, and we focused on showcasing and celebrating the site's contributors. We sought to encapsulate the themes of subject expertise, technology and cater to the large amount of content on the website. We refreshed the typography and colour styles in the process, to align with the mediation and legal sector. To support future design enhancements, we also suggested changes to the navigational structure of the website.
Updating the mediate logo
Mediate has a long history and we didn’t want to lose the essence of the brand. For this reason, the new logo we designed is a modern twist of their current logo, using intersecting dots to convey the idea of multiple connections and finding balance. The logo also included a subtle nod to AI, to help bridge the gap between ODR and mediation. We ensured that the aesthetic of the logo could be easily applied to their suite of brands, to create unity across the wider mediate.com and arbitrate.com family.
Outcomes
- Working with a modern UI and logo allows mediate.com to have an accurate digital reflection of their organisation and gives them the framework to work towards achieving their goal of becoming the leading gateway globally for mediation tools.
- The new brand meets the aims of achieving a refreshed and contemporary brand whilst still staying true to the history and mission of Mediate.
- The final design is bespoke to Mediate and arbitrate.com, yet fully compliant with the WordPress platform the original site is built on.
- It will be implemented across the site by their development team at the end of 2020: www.arbitrate.com
Colin Rule, President and CEO, Mediate:
"Working with the Portable team was an absolute pleasure. To have access to world class designers is great, but to work with designers who also are passionate about justice and conflict resolution is even better. The communication was rapid, my team felt heard and valued, and the final product was professional and polished. I can't wait to find another project where I can collaborate further with the Portable team."
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