While the best website designs hold up over time, that doesn’t mean that they last forever.

Trends change annually – or even more often – and constant technological developments allow for new features and approaches to both design and functionality. We're often asked how long to expect a new website to "look good for its age." The truth is that it varies widely by industry, internal standards, and external events – who would've predicted the iPhone inventing a new paradigm for mobile design!? – but we generally tell people that if you get 5 years out of your site, you're doing really well.

So what happens when a website doesn't look as polished as it did at launch, or when an organization's mission and goals have evolved beyond their existing site? Two options: refresh or rebuild. A refresh might include a design audit that identifies glaring issues and proposes a limited selection of new elements. That could mean fixing accessibility problems and introducing a new masthead style, for example. A rebuild, on the other hand, means starting from scratch – an entirely new framework and design. Both directions have merit, and either choice is a smart investment that will elevate the web presence as a whole. 

For our longtime partners at the North Carolina Community Foundation, we recently led a rebuild that culminated in the launch of a new and improved nccommunityfoundation.org. Their site had served them well for years, but they felt like it was time to both refine their visual language and rethink the presentation of priority areas like grants and scholarships. The new site maintains a level of familiarity and the character of NCCF's brand while incorporating fresh details and thoughtful structural changes that help users efficiently navigate to relevant content.

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