MCLA Redesigns Its Digital Front Door

MCLA website homepage on a desktop and mobile screen

A strategy-first homepage redesign that answers “Why MCLA?” with clarity, confidence, and conviction, built in partnership with Modern Campus.

MCLA is the most affordable four-year public institution in Massachusetts. And the quality of their faculty and student experience is exceptional. But their website wasn’t saying it loudly enough, or backing it up with the full view of what makes MCLA exceptional.

The Challenge

MCLA’s homepage was underselling the institution. Prospective students landing on the site weren’t getting a fast, clear answer to the only question that matters: Why here?

The Berkshires setting, the welcoming culture, the surprisingly deep academic catalog, the alumni outcomes: none of it was coming through with the energy it deserved. MCLA needed a digital front door that matched the real campus experience.

Challenge

Approach

Solution

We started on the ground.

Our team spent several days on campus running a comprehensive audit: meeting stakeholders, sitting with students, talking to faculty, absorbing the culture.

Five differentiators emerged clearly:

Affordable Excellence

The most affordable four-year public degree in Massachusetts. Let that sink in.

A Warm, Welcoming Community

Come as you are. MCLA’s culture of belonging isn’t a tagline. It’s what students actually experience.

Outcomes

MCLA alumni go on to lead extraordinary careers and lives. The proof is in the people.

Sense of Place

The Berkshires aren’t a backdrop. They’re part of the education. World-class arts, nature, and culture are woven into daily life.

Blue graduation cap with a tassel resting on a closed book, accompanied by an orange laurel branch—symbolizing achievement through research and strategy.

Breadth of Academics

For a right-sized institution, the range is remarkable. Students can go in virtually any direction.

Challenge

Approach

Solution

Partnering with Modern Campus, we designed and built a homepage experience that puts the “Why MCLA” story front and center.

Visual storytelling that hits immediately

The redesign leads with imagery and narrative that convey campus energy and the Berkshires setting within seconds.

Two people, one with medium-length light brown hair in a dark shirt and one with long red hair and glasses in a striped shirt, are pictured side by side with play buttons over their torsos.

Interactive design that invites exploration

No more passive scrolling. The homepage rewards curiosity and pulls visitors deeper into the content that matters most.

Calls to action you can’t miss

Every section drives toward a next step: schedule a visit, start an application, explore programs.

AI-powered search with Cludo

Integrated across the site, giving visitors faster, more intuitive access to what they’re looking for.

A website homepage features a decorative iron gate in the foreground, with a person walking along a garden path in the background. Text and navigation menu are visible at the top.

A “Why MCLA” narrative woven throughout

The five pillars are no longer buried. They’re the organizing principle of the entire experience.

Tablet and smartphone screens display the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) website, highlighting features about affordability, student life, and campus experiences.

The Result

A bolder, more impactful homepage and refreshed topline pages that finally match the quality of the institution itself. MCLA’s digital front door now does what the campus has always done: make people feel welcome and give them a reason to stay.

If you need a web/digital agency, hire ERI. They’re currently working on a web project for me and I couldn’t be happier . Everyone at MCLA has been delighted with them. I met Erjon Metohu and Raffi DerSimonian exactly a year ago. Since then, they’ve impressed me time and time again. Their approach to partnerships is exceptional. They’ve effectively embedded themselves in the MCLA culture to gain a deeper understanding of our unique needs, value propositions, and goals. Their mix of intelligence and kindness has earned them my trust. That’s why I continue to reach out to them with more work.