Magoosh is leveling the playing field by giving every student access to effective, affordable, and engaging test prep tools. Prep smart, go far. Enjoy the ride.
They came to us after completing an extensive re-branding exercise. We were asked to express their brand through a new website.
Due to their re-brand we had some solid working parameters. The logo was established. The colors and typography had already been chosen. These limitations allowed us to be creative about other elements of the site.
From the first Hero image, we wanted to get the Magoosh personality across. They're fun and inclusive while being professional and actively avoiding being another boring test prep company.
Their previous site had a good conversion format. Students could easily find the test that they were preparing for. Our design ensured that it remained effective.
We looked to the actual tests for inspiration on the icon style for the site. As a result, we went with a single line weight minimalist approach.
Magoosh structures their blog in an interesting way. In addition to the blog on the primary site, they have a variety of different blogs based on subject matter and test type - all at different URLs.
The blogs are all WordPress sites. As a result the site we built for them used a WordPress multi-site framework. This made for some difficult, but manageable challenges when launching the site.
The Magoosh team is dedicated to creating a workplace that hits that perfect balance of professional and fun. They're passionate about education and even their Careers page conveys their dedication and awesome attitude.
We worked with them to create minimal copy that gets across their core messaging while remaining light. Combined with photography, the Careers page informs prospective employees about their commitment to, "changing test prep...and having fun doing it."
Their copy has a very specific tone. We learned to discuss whether copy sounded "Magooshy" or not. We knew we had it right when the feedback was, "That's so Magoosh".
To get across the working style of Magoosh, we worked with them to create a series of tiles that help people figure out if they might be a good fit.
Their primary marketing is through the success stories of the students who have used their test prep services.
TINYpulse honored Magoosh with their Happiest Company in Education award in 2015. It's no wonder. Culture is super important to Magoosh. Their fun positive attitude is one of the reasons why this project was such a joy to produce.
The iconography made for a fun and interesting challenge. They needed to be simple, and visually support product features. Yet, they still had to get across complex ideas like the difference between a blog post on Magoosh philosophy and one about education.
Magoosh is a play on the Persian word "magush", one who is highly-learned, wise, and generous. They wanted a playful icon to represent this idea, so we created an owl icon that we think could double as their mascot.
