Washington State Fair & Events Center

Task

Custom DatoCMS Website Theme

Role

UI Design

Client

Washington State Fair & Event Center

Agency

SiteCrafting

Before vs After

From Seasonal Fair Site to Dynamic Event Platform

Old WSFEC website home page prior to redesign

Brand Background

The Washington State Fair Event Center is the largest event venue in Washington State and home to five signature experiences that celebrate community, culture, and seasonal traditions.

Its flagship event — the 20-day Washington State Fair — is one of the largest fairs in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands each September. The Spring Fair kicks off each April with eight days of family-friendly fun, while The Taste Northwest brings a culinary celebration to life in June. Oktoberfest Northwest delivers the state’s largest Munich-style gathering in October, and Holiday Magic wraps up the year with a festive winter wonderland in December.

Beyond its marquee events, the Event Center hosts over 125 additional gatherings annually — from car shows and corporate picnics to private celebrations and competitive sports tournaments — making it a year-round destination for entertainment and connection.

Problems To Address

Confusing Navigation
Outdated Visual Identity
Poor Mobile Usability
Fragmented Tools Split between Website + App
Inconsistent & Limited Editorial Patterns
Signature Events Were Buried

Project Overview & Goals

The Washington State Fair Event Center engaged us to modernize their digital presence and reimagine how visitors interact with their brand online. The existing website was visually dated, structurally rigid, and lacked the flexibility needed to support their evolving identity as a year-round event destination — not just “the fair.” Our goals were multifaceted:

Modernize the digital experience with a fresh, vibrant design system that reflects the energy and diversity of their events

Improve mobile usability to better serve on-the-go visitors and reduce reliance on their outdated standalone mobile app

Increase ticket sales and event engagement through clearer navigation, stronger calls to action, and more dynamic content presentation

Support a broader brand shift from “just the fair” to a full-service event center with seasonal experiences and community programming

Technical Constraints & Design Strategy

The site was built on DatoCMS, a headless CMS that housed all event and location data. While the client wanted to retain this system, it came with unique challenges:

No predefined page templates meant we had to design modular, reusable components — “molecules” — that could be arranged in any order and still maintain visual and functional cohesion

We provided layout guidance and best practices to help the internal team build pages that felt intentional, even within a flexible CMS structure

The backend editing experience was disjointed, making it difficult for staff to update content confidently. Our design system aimed to bridge that gap by aligning frontend patterns with backend logic

My Role & Responsibilities

Led UI design for the WSFEC’s new digital experience, from early discovery through final handoff.

Presented design solutions to WSFEC’s leadership throughout the project, guiding decision‑making with clear rationale, prototypes, and iterative refinements.

Refined down the WSFEC’s bloated brand color palette into a cohesive, manageable system that could scale across digital and physical touchpoints.

Designed a modular, component‑driven system that empowered editors to build custom pages while still following recommended layout patterns and best practices.

Aligned design patterns with DatoCMS constraints, improving editorial workflows and reducing friction for non‑designers managing year‑round content.

Defined the visual direction and brand evolution, transitioning WSFEC from muted, legacy tones to a bold, expressive palette that better reflects their energy.

Collaborated closely with engineers, writers, and project managers to ensure the system was practical, accessible, and technically feasible.

Visual Direction & Brand Evolution

The existing brand leaned heavily on browns and reds — colors that felt muted and dated. The client had recently developed a bold new color palette and was eager to explore a more expressive visual identity. We embraced this shift by:

Introducing vibrant, high-contrast color pairings that captured the spirit of each seasonal event
Designing playful, accessible UI patterns that balanced energy with clarity
Elevating the overall aesthetic to feel welcoming, modern, and distinctly Northwest

Design Principles

Make It Mobile-First
Guide Editors, Don't Restrict Them
Bring The Brands Energy Forward
Reduce Cognitive Load For Visitors

WSFEC Signature Event Map Web Page Design

WSFEC Non Signature Event Web Page Design

WSFEC Spring Fair Signature Event Landing Web Page Design

WSFEC State Fair Signature Event Landing Web Page Design

WSFEC Oktoberfest Signature Event Landing Web Page Design

WSFEC The Taste Signature Event Landing Web Page Design

WSFEC Holiday Magic Signature Event Landing Web Page Design

Experience Design & Visitor Tools

The previous site offered limited interactivity and relied on a separate mobile app for wayfinding and event navigation. We consolidated these tools into the new site by:

Designing mobile-first layouts with intuitive navigation and contextual event tools
Creating interactive components like event filters, maps, and schedules that work seamlessly across devices
Positioning the site as a central hub for planning, discovery, and engagement, allowing the client to sunset their outdated app