Hoo Zoo & Dinosaur World: Modernising a Digital Landmark

We have been working with Hoo Zoo since 2016. While working on a website refresh, we approached them proposing a strategic brand refresh to honour their heritage. This would be a subtle evolution rather than a complete rebrand to mature their visual identity.

The project demanded a relatively quick turnaround and a focused approach, aimed at equipping the team with a cohesive, versatile set of assets for their immediate and future marketing needs.

Overview

• We moved the project away from the old design to build a new, modern, custom-designed WordPress website.
• With the launch of Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World’s new branding, we incorporated their new brand throughout the design of the new website to build on brand cohesiveness and a unified identity.
• We implemented the ‘Quick-Nav’ features throughout the site to improve the user experience, and time needed for users to find key information (such as attractions and open times)
• Updated the way the content is displayed, making the website significantly more immersive using video content and custom image galleries.
• Hoo Zoo experienced a full digital evolution to align more closely with their mature brand – while staying true to the brand that their audience knows and loves.

Transformation of a beloved website

Our focus was on moving away from the legacy structures and creating a new, modern, custom-designed high-performance website to meet the ever-evolving digital landscape.
We developed the new Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World website in the WordPress content management system (CMS). Our experience in building bespoke websites, as well os the client’s familiarity with the system. mode it o great choice for their new website

Aligning the Design with the Refined Branding

Following our redesign of the Hoo Zoo brand, the new website served as the first major rollout of the mature Hoo Zoo branding. We integrated the following:

• Updated typography
• Refined colour palette
• Added their new logo and branding elements throughout the site

This alignment ensured a seamless brand transition for the customer, moving from social media to the website, and eventually to the physical park signage, creating a professional and unified identity.

Enhanced Navigation Integration

To help optimise the user journey, we expanded their ‘Quick-Nav’ feature on the website to make sure it was present wherever the user went. This helps users quickly navigate to key pages throughout the site, such as opening times, events calendar and experiences. This meant reduced user frustration and speedier user conversion.

Previously, a stripped-back version of the quick-nav could be found only on the homepage; we expanded on this element and featured it above the footer on all internal pages, as well. This significantly reduced the time to find the information that users need to help them find the right attraction.

Streamlined and Improved Booking Process

A critical area for visitors to get to is the booking page. On their previous website – especially on the responsive mobile version – there were limited ways for the user to navigate to this page.
Along with the key booking CTA in the header navigation, we added various other CTA’s throughout their web pages to reduce the time and effort needed to navigate to the booking page. These additions lower exit rates and ensure that users can complete an action with as little friction as possible.

Near the footer, you can find the main calls to action for the key areas of the zoo, such as: signing up to their mailing list and booking tickets for an experience. By strategically placing these key calls-to-action (CTA), we have reduced the friction required for converting users into paying customers.

Richer Visuals Through The Experience

At an attraction where people come to see animals from all over the world, high-quality visuals can really help sell the experience more than just words. We updated the way the content is displayed to focus more on these visuals, making the website significantly more immersive:

• Integrated Video Content: We embedded videos that showcase the animals and the Dinosaur World experience in motion, providing an immediate sense of the Zoo’s atmosphere and excitement.
• Expanded Image Galleries: We utilised a more “well-rounded” set of brand assets, including professional photography of the animals and families. High-resolution galleries and hero sections were used to tell the Zoo’s story, creating a visual preview of the day out.

The new website is now equipped to better serve Hoo Zoo and its visitors for many more years to come.

By revisiting a project we first started nearly a decade ago, we were able to demonstrate the importance of digital evolution. The new Hoo Zoo website isn’t just a fresh coat of paint; it is a custom-designed and developed modern website that aligns perfectly with their matured brand. Through improved navigation, clearer booking paths, and a greater emphasis on rich media, the site is now equipped to serve Hoo Zoo and its visitors for many more years to come.