Nathan Love Website Redesign
UI UX Web Design, Web Design / Entertainment
Nathan Love is an award-winning independent animation studio based in New York, specializing in character design, storytelling, and high-quality 2D and 3D animation. The studio produces engaging content for major global brands, including Pokémon and Mr. Clean. As “character caretakers,” they differentiate themselves through a passion for personality-driven work, moving beyond simple design to create memorable mascots and narratives.
Transformation
Objective
The primary challenge was a digital presence that felt overly “cartoony” and kid-oriented, which limited the studio’s appeal to broader industry verticals. The previous site lacked interactive depth, offering few engaging elements for visitors.
Key Goals:
- Elevate Brand Perception: Transition to a sophisticated aesthetic that broadens appeal to streamers like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon.
- Balance Creativity: Create a website that exudes their trademark fun without becoming too “busy” or distracting from the portfolio.
- Drive Engagement: Improve UX and content flow to better convert visits into leads.
Approach
Because this was a design-only engagement, the strategy focused on translating Nathan Love’s unique brand soul into a high-fidelity visual interface.
- Interactive Personality: The team pulled specific brand traits into the UX, such as a custom cursor that transforms into a blinking eyeball on the homepage.
- Refined UX/UI: The design centered on typography adjustments and a content flow that feels both fun and professional.
- Portfolio-First Layout: The architecture was redesigned to showcase the studio’s animation work front and center, ensuring the studio’s expertise remains the focal point.
Impact
The redesign successfully moved Nathan Love into a more sophisticated market position while maintaining their creative edge.
- Heightened Engagement: The introduction of moving and interactive elements created a significantly more immersive user experience.
- Brand Translation: The team successfully translated comprehensive brand guidelines into a digital format, adding depth and personality without overshadowing the client’s work.
- Industry Appeal: By balancing “fun” with “sophistication,” the new design sets the studio apart in a highly competitive landscape.
Results
PRE-REDESIGN:
- About 42k impressions per month on Google Search
- About 500 visits per month from Google
- Average of about 0.5 direct project inquiries per month
AFTER REDESIGN:
- About 65k impressions per month on Google Search (55% increase!)
- About 650 visits per month from Google (30% increase!)
- Average of about 1 direct project inquiry per month (100% increase!)
Gallery
