An established non-profit pivots, demanding a higher-profile visual presence

Headquartered in the Bronx, Per Scholas has grown considerably since its founding in 1995. Today the nonprofit does more than recycle legacy computers donated by businesses; it also offers free IT training to underserved communities across the country, advancing students’ professional lives while producing graduates that help companies meet their staffing and CSR goals.

To signal this new direction, Per Scholas needed a website that would align the brand with peers in the tech and business worlds. We refined their existing logo and designed a typographic palette, a refreshed and vibrant color scheme, and high-contrast photo treatment that would resonate with a wider audience and further elevate Per Scholas on the national stage.

Website

As part of our design-led engagement, we streamlined the convoluted architecture of the old site without sacrificing substance, allowing us to produce an easily navigable, content-rich site. As an organization focused on technological education, Per Scholas needed a responsive site to better serve their student audience and to better appeal to their most likely funders.

And because that content is location-specific, we applied geo-targeting to determine the Per Scholas location closest to each user. We reinforced this functionality with a dropdown map in the site’s header to demonstrate the organization’s expanded national presence.

Site content reacts to which location each visitor is closest to. Just like Per Scholas, which targets local industries and workforce needs in each of their locations, the site will only show each user classes available to them at the nearest Per Scholas location.

Brand Refresh

After reviewing their updated marketing goals and new photography, we decided to update the Per Scholas brand with an emphasis on shifting the brand towards a more tech-focused, contemporary feel. We accomplished this by shifting their typographic palette, refining their existing logo, and expanding and shifting their color scheme. We grounded the brand a series of animated icons and a high-contrast photo treatment that would resonate with a wider audience and further elevate Per Scholas on the national stage.