Since 1899, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has been the foremost American professional organization for astronomers. AAS is known for their varied outlets of sharing information to their 8,200+ members. AAS’s semi-annual meetings are where most monumental space discoveries are announced. AAS job boards are the destination for astronomy job postings. Timing and platform are critical for AAS’s science policy initiatives. When we were hired to redesign the website, AAS had just completed a rebrand. Our job was to bring all these elements together to form a cohesive, dimensional, and welcoming website.

Our goal for the site was to show the society’s polished professionalism and important work without overwhelming the reader with its vastness. AAS had just gone through a rebrand that referenced the American heyday of space exploration. The site conceptually connected to the core of science astronomy: discovering what was there all along. We emphasized this concept throughout the design system with revealing animation and by embracing orderly whitespace.

The site’s primary audience is the society’s professional members, but AAS’s organizational goals were to welcome a new and diverse generation of astronomers. It was essential that the new design be welcoming to hobbyists, students, educators, and the policy-minded community. We relabeled navigation and calls to action to reinforce the tone of “what can we do for you?” instead of acting as a transactional touchpoint for the organization.

Our redesign resulted in a website that more accurately represents a world class professional organization of scientists. For our efforts, we were awarded a People's Voice Webby Award for Association Website in 2020.