Cute Web Design for Schools

I've written before about cute websites, and one of the big questions about them: namely, should you have a cute website?

There are industries that just shouldn't.

Schools, however, especially elementary schools and preschools, can have the cutest websites they please. There is no upper limit on cuteness for teachers of children. I work with this population, so I know whereof I speak.

Designer Jeff Wain and I are working on a preschool website right now, and you can see his initial concept for the site at the top of the page. We'll be adding a photo, but it already has a very cute look.

His design for A Plus Educational Supply is another very cute site designed to appeal to teachers:



Jay Jaro did a great design for my environmental lesson plan page over at SmartPay, even with the challenge of including one very cute page at a more serious website:



And my own design for Teaching with Fairytales is also verging on the cute:



If your business caters to teachers, or if you are in fact a school, you can be as cute as you wanna be without sacrificing professionalism or appropriateness. Cute is your business.

While Jeff used a little red schoolhouse and an apple to good effect in his designs, you can also step away from the traditional education images. Jay's jungle look reinforces the idea of ecological responsibility that's part of SmartPay but also brings to mind concepts like growth and fresh new ideas. Animal mascots, whether a real dog or a cartoon tiger, are fun and appropriate for schools. Kids -- as long as you've considered privacy issues -- are always great.

When it comes to colors, these examples are using pink, blue, yellow, green, and red -- kid-friendly colors -- but in combinations, intensities, and textures that keep a degree of sophistication as well as fun.

And think about your vocabulary, too. When you're talking to teachers, you're certainly fine with fun and cute, but remember that these are educated professional people, too. Don't talk down to your visitors. A few years ago, one of my favorite school publishers brought out a series of books called "Technology for Terrified Teachers." Big mistake. I think most of those were thrown out after they languished on the clearance racks for a year or so. Teachers aren't terrified. In fact, a group of people who spend most of their workdays surrounded by mobs of children are probably pretty tough.

Just because you've got a cartoon tiger on your site, it doesn't mean you can get away with treating your visitors as though they were kids.

Whether you're a school, or serving schools and schoolteachers, strive to combine a serious, professional air with a cute, fun look for maximum effect.