Creating a brand identity and website for the Precision Polymer Group.
After attending a new faculty workshop, Assistant Professor Dylan Barber partnered with the Research Impact and Outreach team to create a digital home for the Precision Polymer Group. As a newly established lab, the group needed a website that could communicate its research, attract collaborators, and support future growth.
Through a collaborative process, we developed a visual identity rooted in the UW–Madison brand that reflects the lab’s innovative work while establishing a distinct presence. The result is a flexible brand and website that can evolve alongside the group’s research program, growing partnerships, and expanding impact.
Our goals
- Leverage the UW–Madison brand to build instant recognition and credibility.
- Establish a unique identity for the Precision Polymer Group within the broader university ecosystem.
- Design a flexible digital foundation that can evolve as research priorities grow and change.
- Highlight research strengths and opportunities for collaboration through clear, engaging content.
- Position the lab for long-term visibility, recruitment, and partnership development.
The challenge
Design a lab website that leverages the UW–Madison brand while maintaining its own individual identity so that, as the research develops, the website can engage audiences at every level, from student hires to industry partnerships
Our approach
Co-branding strategy
Using a co-branding approach, we designed the Precision Polymer Group website to balance the strength and recognition of UW–Madison with the unique identity of an emerging research lab. Built within the UW–Madison web framework and aligned with university brand standards, the site benefits from the trust, accessibility, and consistency associated with the university while creating space for the group to establish its own voice and research-focused presence.
Translating research for multiple audiences
Working closely with Assistant Professor Dylan Barber, we developed a content strategy that makes complex polymer science accessible without sacrificing scientific accuracy. Rather than presenting research solely through technical descriptions, the website organizes content around real-world challenges and outcomes, helping prospective students, collaborators, funders, and industry partners understand both the science and its broader significance.
Audience-centered navigation
To support diverse audiences, we developed a content structure centered on three simple questions: Who We Are, What We Do, and Why It Matters. This framework helps visitors quickly find relevant information and creates clear pathways for prospective students, academic collaborators, funding organizations, and industry partners.
Built for more
The WiscWeb 2.0 platform made it easy for our team to design a flexible website that can grow alongside the lab. Streamlined navigation, adaptable content areas, and scalable information architecture make it easy for the Precision Polymer Group to showcase new research initiatives, publications, team members, and partnership opportunities as the group evolves.
The impact
Through a co-branding approach, the Precision Polymer Group website draws on the strength and recognition of the UW–Madison brand while establishing a distinct identity for the lab.
The site creates clear pathways for students, collaborators, funders, and industry partners to learn about the group’s research and opportunities for engagement.
Designed to grow alongside the lab, it provides a flexible foundation for communicating discoveries, supporting recruitment, and fostering new research partnerships.
The results
A professional, co-branded web presence that reflects both UW–Madison’s College of Engineering strength and the lab’s unique research identity.
Through close collaboration between researcher and communicator, complex science was transformed into clear, engaging content that helps students, collaborators, funders, and industry partners connect with the lab’s work. This foundation positions the group for continued growth, visibility, and impact.
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