Cancer Research UK – Cambridge Institute
Creating clarity at scale, with a more human story to attract world-class talent.
A website like this has to do more than look credible. It has to help people find their way through complex information quickly, and it has to communicate the human story behind the work. For the CRUK Cambridge Institute, we brought structure and storytelling together. We clarified the information architecture, strengthened key journeys, and translated an extensive brand system into a warmer, more lifestyle-led digital experience. The result is a site that feels clear, confident, and purposeful, helping the Institute attract collaborators and talent while making its world-class research easier to navigate and understand.
Our brief
The CRUK Cambridge Institute needed a website that could do two important jobs at once.
On a practical level, the challenge was scale. The Institute had a huge amount of content, serving multiple audiences with very different needs. Researchers, academics, students, partners, and prospective collaborators all needed to find relevant information quickly, without having to understand the organisation before they could navigate it.
At the same time, the brief had a human challenge. The Institute could not compete with commercial salaries, so the website needed to communicate what makes it genuinely compelling: purpose, belonging, and the culture of a research community driven by impact. The goal was to help people feel the mission, not just read about it.
Our approach
We began by creating a clear picture of what existed, and what it was doing. A detailed content audit helped us map every page and understand its purpose, relevance, and value. That evidence gave us the confidence to simplify where needed, protect what mattered, and shape an information architecture that balanced depth with clarity.
With the structure taking shape, we shifted focus to how the Institute should feel. We proposed moving from an information-led experience to a narrative-led one, using storytelling to bring the human side of the mission forward. The intention was to make the Institute more relatable and inspiring to prospective talent, without losing the authority and rigour expected of a world-leading research organisation.
To keep everything grounded in the brand, we studied the Institute’s 250+ page guidelines and identified graphic devices that could translate elegantly into a digital system. Those elements were reinterpreted for screen, adding sophistication and consistency without overpowering the content. The result was a clean, modern interface that feels warmer, more lifestyle-led, and more reflective of the people behind the work.
Our solution
We delivered a structured, evidence-led redesign that improved usability while strengthening the Institute’s story. The work combined information architecture, journey clarity, and a refined digital design system, all shaped to support recruitment, collaboration, and communication at scale.
- A full content audit to assess purpose, relevance, and value across the site
- A restructured information architecture designed for clarity across multiple audiences
- Clearer user journeys to help visitors navigate complex information with confidence
- A narrative-led approach to content and structure, designed to make the mission feel human
- A digital interpretation of the brand guidelines, including refined graphic devices and a warmer, lifestyle-led feel
Our impact
The new website presents the Institute as both a leading research organisation and a community of passionate people driven by purpose. Visitors can now move through complex information more intuitively, with clearer pathways that reduce friction and help people reach what they need faster.
Just as importantly, the experience better reflects what it feels like to be part of the Institute. By shifting towards storytelling and a more human visual narrative, the site does more than explain the work. It helps prospective researchers and collaborators connect with the meaning behind it, strengthening recruitment appeal and reinforcing the Institute’s identity as a place where world-class science happens in a deeply purposeful environment.
This project proved that world-class science deserves world-class storytelling. Design became the bridge between data and discovery, helping the Institute share not just what it does, but why it matters.
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