Mint Musuem logo

The Mint Musuem

Information Architecture

Interface Design

Development

North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum, partnered with SDH to design a new website that extends its vibrant cultural reach online—connecting audiences to exhibitions, events, and education beyond their physical galleries.

Laptop displaying Mint Museum's website about a Picasso Landscapes art exhibition titled 'Out of Bounds'

Challenge

The Mint Museum is full of energy, creativity, and culture—but their website didn’t show it. From the start, we ran into slow load times, a backend that made updates frustrating, and a design that felt dated and disconnected from the museum’s personality. Outdated content and confusing navigation made it tough for visitors to engage with everything the Mint has to offer. It was clear the site needed more than a facelift—it needed a full overhaul to match the spirit of the museum itself.

Solution

To bring the Mint Museum’s online presence up to par with the experience of visiting in person, we rethought everything from the ground up. We designed a fresh, modern look that echoed the museum’s iconic architecture and gave the site a clear sense of place. The navigation and page layouts were completely reimagined to make exploring the site feel effortless. We also refined brand elements—like color, typography, and tone—that now extend across the museum’s advertising and social media. Behind the scenes, we built a custom content management system tailored to the Mint’s needs and moved to faster hosting, finally putting an end to those sluggish load times.

Engagement Length
9 months
Organization Size
22 employees
Organization Type
Government
Non-Profit

2

Logo variations and options

2x

Improvement in Google Page Speed Scores

175

Pages of art related content
An improved experience for North Carolina’s first art museum and its patrons.
Website navigation map with Home menu linking to Art, Calendar, and About The Mint sections, showing sub-links for exhibitions, events, contact, and staff choices.
Laptop on table displaying Mint Museum's webpage about Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds art exhibition with colorful abstract paintings.
Smiling person with curly hair, glasses, and a red hat in an indoor setting with text overlay reading 'What the Mint means to the community'.
Hand holding a smartphone displaying Mint Museum's art exhibitions mobile menu with options including Current, Upcoming, Permanent Collection, Virtual, and Past Exhibitions.
Website navigation map with Home menu linking to Art, Calendar, and About The Mint sections, showing sub-links for exhibitions, events, contact, and staff choices.
Laptop on table displaying Mint Museum's webpage about Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds art exhibition with colorful abstract paintings.
Related Events section showing event cards with dates and titles including Kenny Nguyen talk, Mint on the Dot! talks, Free Wednesday Evenings, and Yoga at The Mint.Cards of Mint Museum Uptown hours and addressAbstract colorful Picasso-style landscape painting with geometric shapes and patterns, titled 'Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds.'
Website layouts showing images of Uptown and Randolph museum locations with visit planning buttons, their addresses, hours of operation, exhibition info, and a tour filter sidebar.
Large uppercase and lowercase letter A in dark brown on a muted reddish background with the word 'Söhne' below.UI design elements showing button states labeled Default, Hover, and Pressed in three styles, text buttons with arrows, event detail badges for Randolph, Uptown, and Ongoing, and a grid of 20 outlined icons.
Seven color swatches labeled Evergreen, Mint Original, Light Mint, Light Beige, Beige, Terracotta, and Mauve
Visuals worthy of a gallery that live on the web.
Promotional banner for North Carolina's first art museum featuring a painting of a green-skinned person in a red hood and details of the 'Coined in the South: 2024' exhibition at Mint Museum Uptown.
Colorful abstract mural with shapes and faces behind glass panels promoting Foragers art exhibit on view through September 6, 2022 at Uptown.
Event listing showing today's hours for Uptown and Randolph locations, a member appreciation week notice, and a featured artwork by Diedrick Brackens titled Ark of Bulrushes.
Advertisement for Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds exhibition from February to May 2023 at Mint Uptown, featuring a colorful abstract Picasso painting of houses and nature.
Mint's website menu with categories About The Mint, Art Exhibitions, Calendar, Programs Resources, Plan Your Visit, Join Donate, Rent The Museum, and Shop listing various related links.
Modern architectural building of The Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina, with text about its establishment and contact information.
Book cover with colorful vertical stripes and text 'Anni & Josef Albers', promotion for new art and design books with a shop now button.
Laptop on a white concrete table displaying a shopping website with categories: Colorful Tableware, NC Glass, Floral Jewelry, Art Books, and Developmental Toys.
Cutting room floor
Old Mint Musuem website hero mockup, a collage of people engaging in cultural activities including a violinist in a white mariachi outfit and visitors viewing colorful artwork in a gallery.

Inspiration

The north elevation of The Levine Center for the Arts designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates and interior wayfinding signage.

Modern building exterior with geometric beige stone facade and large windows next to an interior hallway sign showing floor numbers 2 to 5.
Technical Breakdown
  • Powered by the Wordpress Content Management System
  • Turn-key hosting service and CDN provided by SDH
  • Event calendar integration
  • Custom Shopify store theme setup
  • Global site search with advanced admin statistics
  • GA4 Integration
Working with the team at Social Design House has been fantastic for my team. The vernacular of their web design has permeated our brand, impacting our digital marketing, print advertising, OOH, and more. Not only are they responsible for the design and build of our website, but their expertise has also led to web-based experiences and information guides that thousands interact within our galleries.
Clayton Sealey

Clayton Sealey

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications

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