Approach
The Maine State Museum, one of the nation’s oldest state-funded museums, houses multiple physical and digital collections. The website highlights these assets, as well as other nearby civic attractions, to individuals, educators, and school groups.
The Maine State Museum website redesign was a critical component of the museum’s broader reopening strategy.
We partnered with the Friends of the Maine State Museum to define a clear vision for the new site, aligning on goals, user needs, and structure. This included developing a streamlined sitemap, refining messaging, and organizing content to support both current engagement and future growth.
Content planning and site reorganization
The existing site structure made it difficult for users to find key information and for the team to manage content effectively. We reworked the site architecture to create a more intuitive, user-focused experience, streamlining navigation and organizing content around core audiences and priorities.
Because of the limitations of the original site, content migration required a careful, manual process to ensure consistency across a wide range of content types. To support this effort, we also developed a collaborative system for reviewing and organizing content, helping stakeholders align on what to keep, update, or remove throughout the process.
Museum website redesign
The design focused on a clean, modern, and accessible experience, refined through multiple rounds of feedback and optimized for all devices. We also worked to ensure the site better reflects the breadth of Maine’s communities and stories, representing a more diverse and inclusive perspective.
At the same time, accessibility considerations were integrated throughout the build, with attention to color contrast, typography, and readability to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Custom WordPress development
We rebuilt the Maine State Museum website in WordPress using a custom theme, replacing the previous Divi-based setup with a more flexible and maintainable foundation. This approach improved performance, simplified content management, and created a structure that can scale alongside the museum’s future needs.
The result is a modern, responsive website that supports both current engagement and future growth.
Before and After
Before
After
Built to last
The site officially launched in September 2025, aligning with early promotional efforts and providing a foundation for ongoing engagement. The new structure supports both current needs—like digital exhibits and updates—and future functionality, including events, in-person visits, and planned features like an online gift shop.
“LOVE the website – especially the intro photo with such diverse visitors and the Meet Maine Here. LOVE.”
–Maine Office of Tourism
