Clark Atlanta University

The Challenge

With a combined legacy of two HBCUs, Clark Atlanta University is an institution steadfast in its academic rigor, leadership, and service, with more than 160 years of shaping changemakers across generations.

But its website told only part of that story.

The digital experience didn’t reflect the University’s academic strength, innovation, student support, or its position at the center of Atlanta’s cultural and professional ecosystem.

CAU needed more than a redesign. It needed a modern digital flagship: one that honored its legacy, expressed its ambition, met federal accessibility standards, and actively supported recruitment, engagement, and institutional growth.

The Solution

idfive approached CAU.edu not as a technical rebuild, but as a brand expression project in which strategy, storytelling, design, accessibility, and usability work together to move people from interest to action.

We began by grounding the experience in CAU’s defining narrative: Innovation in Service of Humanity. A story of perseverance, academic leadership, discovery, and purpose that spans from Reconstruction to AI research, from service to global impact.

From there, every decision followed and we began to restructure the site around how people actually use it. Streamlined, audience-based navigation ensured critical content could be reached in three clicks or fewer, reducing friction while increasing confidence and clarity.

CAU’s differentiators became the backbone of the content strategy:

  • Faculty mentorship
  • Student research and experiential learning
  • Alumni success
  • Career outcomes
  • Atlanta as a living classroom
  • A culture of belonging and leadership

The new experience was built to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ensuring equitable access across devices and abilities. Performance optimization, mobile-first layouts, and intuitive interaction patterns support both 17-year-old applicants and working graduate students with limited time.

The Outcomes

The new CAU.edu positions Clark Atlanta University as what it has always been–and what it is becoming:

  • A leader among HBCUs
  • A launchpad for purpose-driven career
  • A community grounded in service and innovation

The site now communicates CAU’s identity with clarity and confidence; supports undergraduate and graduate recruitment with modern UX and conversion paths; serves parents with transparent information on value, safety, and outcomes; reconnects alumni and donors to impact and opportunity; and gives faculty and staff tools that match their role as mentors and innovators.

Most importantly, it restores CAU’s digital presence to the level of its real-world influence. A university founded on the belief “I’ll find a way or make one” now has a website built to do the same.

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