The South East Consortium (SEC) is a not-for-profit organisation that connects housing associations, councils, and public sector bodies with trusted suppliers. Through procurement frameworks, training, and tailored consultancy, they help the housing sector work more efficiently and deliver greater social value.
We partnered with SEC to design and develop a new website that not only reflects their growth but also puts their people-first ethos at the centre of the digital experience.
THE BACKSTORY
Since their rebrand in 2018, SEC has evolved significantly. Their frameworks have expanded, their membership has grown, and their impact has deepened. Yet their website hadn’t kept pace.
The old site no longer represented who SEC had become. It struggled to clearly communicate their value proposition, lacked intuitive navigation, and didn’t make it easy for users to find the information or services most relevant to them.
It was time to create a website that felt as progressive, human, and purposeful as the organisation itself.
THE PROBLEM
The existing website experience was fragmented, with disjointed navigation, duplicated content, and unclear calls to action.
Users found it difficult to understand what SEC offered, how to access frameworks, or how to get in touch. Key actions such as signing up for training or submitting enquiries were overly complicated, often requiring users to leave the site entirely.
From a business perspective, the website was also underperforming. Membership opportunities were hidden, user journeys weren’t tailored to different audience needs, and SEO performance risked stagnating.
In short, SEC needed a digital platform that reflected their mission, improved usability, and empowered users to engage more easily with their services.
THE SOLUTION
We began by reimagining SEC’s website from the ground up, building a strategy that combined design, functionality, and storytelling to create a seamless user experience.
STRATEGY
Our goal was clear: make the website work harder for SEC and the people they serve.
The new site needed to:
• Clearly communicate SEC’s mission, vision, and values
• Streamline user journeys to improve engagement and conversions
• Make it easy to sign up for events and training
• Modernise the design while maintaining accessibility and warmth
• Integrate with Dynamics CRM and support data capture for growth
• Be fast, secure, compliant, and SEO-optimised
DESIGN & EXPERIENCE
The revised design takes a people-first approach, capturing SEC’s commitment to exceptional customer service in a way that feels warm, authentic, and engaging. Every detail is designed to make visitors feel welcome with photography that celebrates genuine connections between customers, team members, and the communities they support.
At the heart of the concept is a bespoke system of graphic elements inspired by SEC’s three core pillars: support, educate, and collaborate. These bold, abstract shapes form the foundation of the design language, used dynamically to frame photography, create texture, and unify the brand story across every touchpoint. The result is a flexible visual system that’s instantly recognisable and deeply tied to SEC’s purpose.
The previous colour palette was vibrant but overwhelming, so we refined it to create a more balanced and approachable feel. We added a mustard yellow to highlight key content and a soft grey background to create warmth and depth. This subtle shift transforms the user experience from functional to welcoming.
Every design choice, from the typography to the layout grid, was made to improve clarity and ease of use. The new site now guides users naturally through information, with fewer clicks and clearer signposting at every stage of the journey.
TECHNOLOGY & FUNCTIONALITY
Behind the scenes, the site is fully integrated with SEC’s CRM, enabling streamlined data capture and follow-up. It’s optimised for speed, mobile-friendly, and compliant with all accessibility, GDPR, and security standards. The CMS allows SEC’s team to easily post updates, track performance via Google Analytics and Search Console, and manage redirects to maintain search equity.
THE RESULTS
The new SEC website is a modern, dynamic platform that embodies their mission to support, educate, and collaborate with the housing sector.
• A clear, intuitive user journey that improves engagement
• A warm, people-first design reflecting SEC’s values and culture
• Streamlined event and training sign-ups
• Seamless CRM integration to drive enquiries and memberships
• Enhanced SEO performance and fast loading speeds
• A design system flexible enough to grow with the organisation
The result is a digital experience that not only looks good but works harder – helping SEC continue to strengthen the housing sector through connection, collaboration, and care.
