STAUFFER launches redesigned ISAC website with UChicago

STAUFFER helped the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures launch a redesigned website on Sept. 28, 2026, aimed at making scholarship, collections, and public programs easier to find. The update adds better search, accessibility improvements, and tools that let staff update pages without developer help.

Why it matters: - The new website is meant to make more than a century of scholarship, museum collections, and public programs easier for broader audiences to discover and use. - The redesign supports scholars, educators, museum visitors, and general audiences with different needs on the same platform. - The launch strengthens ISAC’s ability to connect research, exhibitions, publications, and public education in one digital place.

What happened: - STAUFFER announced work on the newly launched website for the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. - The redesigned site officially launched Sept. 28, 2026. - ISAC led more than two years of planning, consultation, design, and development before launch. - Community input helped shape the website’s priorities, organization, design, and functionality.

The details: - ISAC needed a site that could present archaeological expeditions, ancient languages, scholarly publishing, museum collections, and exhibitions in a clear way. - STAUFFER used user testing, design, and development to create clearer routes through ISAC’s research resources in West Asia and North Africa. - Improved search helps readers navigate ISAC’s publication archive and identify scholars and research projects. - Educators and families can find learning opportunities through the site. - Museum visitors can find exhibition information and plan visits. - Thousands of preserved links continue to route readers to resources cited and shared over many years. - The site is built on Drupal, with Drupal Canvas giving faculty and staff a visual way to create and update pages. - Reusable page elements make it easier to share discoveries, highlight exhibitions and collections, and promote events. - The new system reduces the need for developer support for routine updates. - Accessibility was built into the design and development process, with attention to keyboard navigation and usability across devices. - The platform gives ISAC a consistent way to organize and reuse content as research, publications, and public programs grow. - The website foundation also supports future connections with other digital resources. - ISAC’s current exhibition, “Discover ISAC Museum new exhibition,” runs from Sept. 17, 2026, through March 14, 2027. - The exhibition tells the story of Hartapu, a little-known king whose recently discovered inscription is reshaping the history of Iron Age Anatolia. - James Osborne curated the exhibition, and ISAC Museum organized it. - ISAC members and ISAC Museum visitors support the exhibition. - More information is available at isac.uchicago.edu. - STAUFFER, founded in 2001 and based in Los Angeles, works on digital strategy, design, and engineering for websites, applications, and connected digital platforms. - STAUFFER also points readers to more information about the agency.

Between the lines: - The redesign is not just a visual refresh. It is a restructuring effort aimed at making a complex institution feel usable to both specialists and casual visitors. - The emphasis on preservation, reuse, and accessibility suggests ISAC wants the site to scale as its collections and digital offerings expand. - Better internal publishing tools matter because they let ISAC staff update content without waiting on technical support for every change.

What's next: - ISAC plans to keep improving the site and connect it to other digital resources over time. - The museum exhibition on Hartapu will continue through March 14, 2027, giving the new website a timely public-facing focus. - The platform is positioned to support future research, publishing, and event promotion as ISAC’s programs grow.