The New York Aquarium is the oldest continuously operating aquarium in the United States. Located in Coney Island and home to over 500 marine species, it serves dual missions: educating millions of visitors a year about ocean ecosystems, and supporting world-class marine research and conservation programs.
The Challenge
A 130-year-old institution facing a 2026 audience needs to be two things at once, accessible enough to win family weekend trips, and serious enough to drive donor support, research partnerships, and educational programming. The previous digital presence handled neither well: ticket purchase flows were buried, conservation content read like a press release, and the visual identity felt institutional rather than alive.
Our Approach
We mapped the four primary audiences, visiting families, school groups, donors, and researchers, and designed distinct user journeys for each, anchored on a single shared brand experience. Content strategy preceded design: we worked with the aquarium's curators and education team to surface stories about specific animals, habitats, and conservation projects, giving the site a reason to be alive rather than just transactional.
Design & Build
The site's visual language pairs editorial typography with vivid photography and short-form video of the actual exhibits. Ticket purchasing was rebuilt around a streamlined, mobile-first flow that gets visitors from "I want to come" to "I have tickets" in under 90 seconds. The conservation and research sections were redesigned as long-form editorial, where readers stay, learn, and convert into supporters. Behind the scenes, a structured CMS lets the aquarium's team publish exhibit updates, animal arrivals, and research milestones without engineering involvement.
The Outcome
The redesigned New York Aquarium experience deepened visitor engagement, accelerated ticket conversion on mobile, and gave the conservation mission a digital surface worthy of the work. The site now functions as a marketing tool, an educational platform, and a fundraising touchpoint, and the underlying CMS structure scales to support new exhibits, programs, and seasonal campaigns without rework.
