A life-changing site driven by Multi-Site ZenCMS Drupal Architecture

We gave CALS an experience that was as insightful, innovative and built on the foundation of a CMS ecosystem designed to scale, supporting dozens of sites from a single Drupal install. 

  • Accessibility
  • CMS
  • Content
  • Creative
  • Data
  • Digital Strategy
  • Drupal
  • Education
  • Experience
  • Large Content Websites

The Challenge

Make CALS' groundbreaking work easier to explore.

Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) was ready to launch their new brand, and needed a first-rate web system that brought it to life. It needed to simultaneously help prospective students in their decision-making process, drive awareness of their mission as New York’s Land-Grant University, and showcase the amazing breadth and impact of research and applied work being done by the CALS faculty, students and community. They challenged us to design and build a site that made their unique approach tangible — crossing traditional structures and barriers as seamlessly as their work does.

The Insight

They are a community with a common goal: to leave the world better than we found it.

At CALS they are passionate about sharing their work with those who need it. Faculty and students work relentlessly to make life changing discoveries so that they can make a tangible difference in both New York state and the world. It’s part of their land-grant mission, but we realized that it’s bigger than that. It’s who they are. The new site had to work just as hard and be just as forward thinking, so that they could reach more people with their important discoveries, insights and research.

Computer monitor showing CALS websites in front of beekeepers in the field.

Our Solution

A web experience that is life-changing.

Helping to launch CALS' new brand — “Life. Changing.” — the platform is brought to life in the photography, copy and design. Users also experience it with dynamic, interactive elements that guide them and encourage them to keep exploring the important work happening at CALS.

We brought the unique connectivity and interdisciplinary work at CALS to life through a “Molecular View” interactive module that guides users through vast amounts of interconnected work and content.

Title screens showing CALS website views

The Outcome

We created something unique to how CALS thinks and works.

The site launched with 2500+ pages of content, and we’ve already seen hundreds more added. Where CALS once had a loose matrix of separately managed sites, they now have a unified and connected content engine that truly exemplifies the interconnectivity of their work and research.

Dropping Some Data

December 2019 – July 2020 YOY

22%

Increase in sessions

24%

Increase in users

55%

Increase in unique pageviews

67%

Increase pageviews

1,000

Newsletter signups in the first 8 months since launch

1,300+

Online survey submissions collecting feedback and insights from real users

37%

Increase in pages per session

43%

Increase in session duration

21%

Increase in mobile usage