ArtsEd
A refactored and rebuilt WordPress website for ArtsEd, one of the UK's leading drama schools, launched alongside a new brand with a leaner plugin stack and a more modular CMS.
The challenge & the solution.
ArtsEd needed its WordPress website refactored and relaunched in step with a new brand, without disrupting a busy site serving Higher Education, Day School and Sixth Form, Saturday School and What's On audiences. Years of additions had left the site carrying around 60 plugins, slowing it down and making it harder to maintain. The rebuild had to land quickly, keep every existing URL and integration working, and give the in-house team more control over page layouts.
We rebuilt the theme around the new brand and refactored the codebase, replacing plugin-dependent features with lean custom code and cutting the plugin count from 60 to 25. Page templates were reworked into modular ACF sections so the team can build and rearrange pages without a developer. We built custom Gravity Forms with Stripe payments, and continue to support the interactive seat-naming tool we built for their fundraising campaign, which links through to their Blackbaud eTapestry donation platform. The new site went live in early September 2026 after around a week of build time.
What we delivered for ArtsEd.
New brand rolled out across the whole site in around a week
Plugin count cut from 60 to 25 for a faster, more secure site
Modular ACF page layouts the in-house team can manage themselves
Custom Gravity Forms with Stripe payments
Ongoing support including the interactive seat-naming tool
The refreshed home page hero introducing the new ArtsEd brand, with full-width imagery.
Clearly sign posted routes into Higher Education, Day School and Sixth Form, and Saturday School.
A carousel showcasing ArtsEd graduates with featured badges from a custom content type 'Student's in the backend of the site.
Inner course pages using the brand colour palette, bold typography and full-width photography.
The interactive Name a Seat tool, where supporters hover and click a seat in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Theatre to dedicate it, with live availability counts and eTapestry checkout.
Downloadable PDF materials with hover style.
A mega menu dropdown with colours co-ordinated according to each section of the site.
