How we redesigned the website of the international EMREX network
For EMREX — an international network developing an open source solution for the digital transfer of student data between countries and institutions — we redesigned the official website emrex.eu. The website brings together a network of members from eight countries, from Finland and Norway to Croatia and Chile, and serves as a central place for news, documents and new member registration. The project included a new design, the transfer of the entire multi-year archive and the transition to production without losing any content.
The challenge: refresh the site while preserving years of content
The old site had been running on outdated technology for years and was not mobile-friendly, but it held great value: years of news, newsletters, documents, and member pages. Many of them were also linked to by external links — from PDF documents, presentations, and partner sites. The redesign therefore had to bring a modern look without breaking any of the existing addresses.
A particular challenge was the diverse audience: students, universities and national institutions from all over Europe, who come with very different questions. The page should show them in a few seconds what EMREX is, who is already in the network and how to join. We also made sure that the transition to the new site was done in one scheduled time, with a complete backup and the possibility of returning, so that the network would not be without its site at any time.
Solution: modern site and migration without interruption
For EMREX we did:
- Redesign — a modern, clear, mobile-friendly site, with a video introduction on the homepage and a clear path to accessing the network
- News and newsletter archive — all previous content transferred and organized by year, so that even old newsletter issues are easy to find
- Member network — overview of countries and institutions with logos, as proof that the solution is already working in practice
- Forms — contact, newsletter signup and network membership signup, with entries saved in one place
- GDPR and cookies — a notice about cookies with consent, in accordance with European data protection rules
- Secure migration — a new site is built on a separate test environment and transferred to production in one scheduled appointment, with full backup and rollback
- Preserved links — all existing addresses also work on the new page, so links from documents and partner pages are not broken
- Technical update — switching to a modern version of PHP and cleaning the server of old, forgotten backups
Watch the live page: emrex.eu
Why lossless redesign is critical for organizations and networks
Associations, international networks and project organizations often have a website that has been running for years and that no one wants to touch, because "everything is there". This is precisely why the website eventually becomes slow, insecure and difficult to use on mobile. The new design is not the problem — the problem is migrating to it without lost news, broken links and days when the website is down. When the new website is built on a test environment and migrated with a clear recovery plan, the transition takes one planned date instead of weeks of uncertainty. The result is a website that looks new, works on mobile and preserves everything the organization has built over the years.
Do you have a site that needs a refresh?
We'll redesign it so it looks modern, works on mobile, and preserves all your existing content — news, documents, and links. Prices start at €400.
Check out our website packages and pricing or other projects.
