Faster Releases
After the theme implementation, the time to release new websites and campaigns dropped. Reusable components replaced bespoke builds.
CASE STUDY
Unifying a Fragmented Web Estate into One Design System
How 40Q adapted Northeastern University’s own UI framework into a block-based WordPress theme, so communications teams can launch brand-consistent campaigns in minutes.
Project overview
Built for Speed and Consistency
One design system, one stack and one provider, giving a small internal team the reach of a much larger one.
Content Autonomy
Northeastern’s stakeholders manage their own content through a flexible, atomic toolset, without waiting on engineering for routine changes.
One Brand, Everywhere
A shared component library and design language means every digital asset looks and feels like Northeastern Law.
Accessibility Built In
kernl’s accessibility layer carried over into the WordPress theme, so compliance is a property of the components rather than a per-project checklist.
Better Search Performance
Site performance improved, which lifted SEO positioning and brought more lead conversions from prospective students.
Lower Operating Cost
Consolidating onto a single WordPress stack and a single hosting provider reduced maintenance costs and centralized support.
Business Impact
These were not only engineering problems. They limited Northeastern’s ability to reach prospective students on time, hold one brand voice across the university, and let a small internal team operate at the scale of a 15,000-student institution.
The problem
A Patchwork of Frameworks, Slowing Every Launch
Northeastern enrolls more than 15,000 students across its Boston campus and satellite campuses around the US. Its digital operation was not keeping pace with that footprint.
Fragmented Tech Stack
Colleges and departments each built on a different framework. Legacy tooling stitched multiple systems together, raising maintenance overhead and slowing every update.
Slow Campaign Launches
Communications managers struggled to spin up the landing pages and microsites that new programs and events needed, so campaigns waited on engineering.
Brand Inconsistency
Disparate technologies made it hard to keep a cohesive brand identity across the School’s digital footprint.
Scattered Hosting
Sites ran across several hosting providers, fragmenting support and creating excessive overhead for a team whose job was communication, not infrastructure.
The solution
The Solution
40Q adapted Northeastern’s own UI framework into WordPress, then worked as an extension of the internal team to put it to work across the School’s sites.
kernl, rebuilt as a WordPress theme
Northeastern’s UI framework, kernl, was the result of years of internal work and included layers covering accessibility, plugin management and search. We adapted it into a WordPress theme without losing any of them.
kernl, rebuilt as a WordPress theme
Northeastern’s UI framework, kernl, was the result of years of internal work and included layers covering accessibility, plugin management and search. We adapted it into a WordPress theme without losing any of them.
Looking for a Web Partner for Your University?
Northeastern Law now runs on one design system, one stack and one hosting provider. Let’s talk about what that would look like on your campus.