An open application, designed for musicians
Opening the programme meant musicians without a nomination would meet Classeek through a form. Clear requirements up front, links instead of heavy uploads, and a review before paying.
Website · application flow · visual identity
ClasseekA new website and an open application path for a Swiss platform that supports young classical musicians.
Screens are a 2026 refinement of my original designs, rebuilt in Figma. Classeek's live website has changed since. Click any screen to see the full page.
Problem
Classeek had outgrown Wix. The team couldn't manage content on their own, and the Ambassador Programme was about to open to applications.
What I did
Structure, UX and UI for the new website, a five-step application flow, and a dark visual identity inspired by Classeek's showroom.
Result
Classeek's in-house developers built the new site, and the team was very happy with it. Musicians without a nomination could now apply.
The problem
A growing startup had outgrown its website
Classeek supports young classical musicians through programmes, opportunities and a professional community. Its website was on Wix, and as the company grew, the platform became restrictive and hard for the team to manage on their own. Classeek now had its own developers, so it could build something more flexible in-house.
This was a chance to do more than refresh the visuals: to rethink how Classeek presents itself.
The site had to say who Classeek is, show its concerts and artists, present the Ambassador Programme, and let the team publish concerts, newsletters and articles themselves.
It had to do that for a mixed, international audience, and still feel like classical music.
Who it's forYoung and emerging musiciansCurrent AmbassadorsFuture applicantsPartnersFirst-time visitors
The team
Three countries, one agile team
Classeek's team was spread across Switzerland, Poland and Israel. We worked remotely in short cycles, with design, product and development in the same daily conversation.
SwitzerlandClasseek's home · CET
PolandCET
Israel1 hour ahead of CET
- Daily stand-upOn video, with product, design and development together.
- Kanban in Jira"Classeek 2.0" board with backlog, Kanban board and roadmap.
- Design → ticketsTickets point back to the designs ("see on designs"), so developers build from the same source.
SourceTeam daily and Jira board, September 2022.
![A Jira ticket on the Classeek 2.0 Kanban board: '[BE] onboarding – profile setup step 1', with notes that refer to the designs.](assets/jira.jpg)
The core idea
Cool, but still classical.Classical music doesn't need to lose its identity to feel current. It can sit alongside nightlife energy, technology and a younger audience.
Design direction
The look came from a real room
ClassicalSophisticatedRefinedContemporaryEnergeticYouthful
Classeek's showroom, taken online
The showroom was lit only with colorful lights. They created gradients on the walls and gave the room a more modern feel. I took the colors and the vibe from the showroom and used them for the website's color system and its gradients.
That's also where the dark foundation comes from: the choice was inspired by the showroom's atmosphere.
Dark base
#18191E background, black bands, #292929 surfacesGold accentsFrom the amber floor light. Buttons, links, highlights.
Violet glowFrom the wall light. Soft radial glow behind key sections.
Text and greys
#F5F5F7 text, greys for hierarchy and linesDark, but readable
A dark site has to earn its contrast. I checked every text color against the background it sits on. All of them pass WCAG AA (4.5:1). The darkest grey is kept for borders and dividers only.
| Pair | Use | Contrast | AA text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aa#F5F5F7 on #18191E | Body text | 16.1 : 1 | Pass |
| Aa#AEAEB2 on #18191E | Secondary text | 7.9 : 1 | Pass |
| Aa#8E8E93 on #18191E | Tertiary text | 5.4 : 1 | Pass |
| Aa#D8A85D on #18191E | Links | 8.1 : 1 | Pass |
| Aa#0D0E11 on #B88C42 | Button label | 6.3 : 1 | Pass |
| Aa#636366 on #18191E | Borders only | 2.9 : 1 | Not for text |
Enrollment flow
Opening the Ambassador Programme to applications
The Ambassador Programme, founded in 2018, is a one-year career programme for young classical musicians. Until then, the only way in was a nomination by one of Classeek's Artist Ambassadors. Classeek then opened one place per season to young artists worldwide, through an application. I designed that path, from discovering the programme to submitting.
Who can apply
- Open to all instrumentalists, from anywhere in the world
- Aged 30 or under on 1 August 2022
- A Bachelor of Music degree or equivalent
- One place per season through the application
What applicants send
- A performance video of at least 10 minutes (link)
- A 1–2 minute personal video about why they're applying
- A photo and a professional biography
- An application fee of 25 EUR
SourceProgramme page and application form, original 2022 designs.
Step 1 of 4
Know what you need before you start
- A checklist up front: videos, photo, biography and fee, so nobody gets stuck halfway.
- Eligibility, deadline and fee stay visible in a side panel through every step.
- Save and exit: applicants can gather their videos and come back.
Step 2 of 4
About you, in small groups
- Grouped fields: personal information, contact, education, achievements.
- Required fields marked and explained at the top.
- Two columns on desktop, one on mobile.
Step 3 of 4
Media as links, not uploads
- Videos are links to YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox, so musicians don't upload large files.
- Each field says what's expected: at least 10 minutes of playing; a 1–2 minute personal video.
- Photo and biography as simple uploads with size limits.
Step 4 of 4
Review, then pay
- A summary of every step with an edit link, before any money changes hands.
- Card or PayPal, inside the same dark design.
- The button says the amount: "Pay 25 EUR & submit".
Done
Clear next steps after submitting
- Confirmation on screen and by email.
- What happens next: when applications are reviewed and how the shortlist is contacted.
- A way back in: upcoming concerts or the programme page.
The website
One site for concerts, programmes and stories
I mapped every page of the original design file, 86 artboards in total, into one structure. The pages below are the ones that carry the brand and the business.
Structure
Seven branches under Home
News, the Ambassador Programme with its application, concerts and media, the community, the podcast, and global pages like search and the newsletter. The dots mark the pages refined for this case study.
Home
Glow marks the moments that matter
Upcoming concerts, stories, the podcast, this season's Ambassadors and the community each get their own band. The violet glow is saved for key bands like the Ambassadors, so the rest stays calm.
Ambassador Programme
A programme page that recruits
The key facts sit in one strip under the title: one year, entry by nomination or application, 30 or under, based in Aubonne. Further down: what the programme offers, the people behind it, the deadline and fee, and a FAQ.
Season Programme
Every concert with its real poster
The season reads as a timeline: date, performers, full programme and, for past concerts, a link to the recording. The banner is Classeek's original poster for the 6 April 2022 duo recital.
Concert Hall
The showroom gets its own page
The same room that inspired the color system: photos, key facts and recorded concerts from the hall.
On mobile
Designed for phones too
Every refined page has a mobile layout. On phones, a full-screen menu carries the navigation.
Design system
One kit behind every page
Desktop and mobile share one set of styles and components. One typeface, Montserrat, with a desktop and a mobile size for each role. Gold is for actions, violet glow for key moments. Components come with their states: hover and focus, plus error for form fields.
The stepper, upload and choices build every step of the application flow. Rebuilt in Figma in 2026 from my original designs.
Key decisions
A stakeholder call I'd handle differently
Not every decision was mine to make. The navigation shows how I worked with that.
- The requestHide all desktop navigation behind a hamburger
The product team pushed for it to please the CEO. It wasn't based on user needs.
- The riskEvery section one click deeper
Visitors couldn't see what Classeek offers at a glance.
- What I didMade the menu work harder
I designed a dedicated full-screen desktop menu, repeating my diagonal line motif, to soften the impact.
- NowVisible navigation on desktop
In the refinement, sections sit in the header; the full-screen menu stays on mobile.
Dark by default, from the physical space
Dark mode came from the atmosphere of the showroom and connects Classeek's physical experience with its website. I checked contrast so it stays readable.
One visual ecosystem, screen and print
I also designed Ambassador communications, recital brochures and posters, so I treated Classeek as one visual world instead of a website on its own.
Built for the team to publish
Moving off Wix was about independence, so concerts, artists and stories share reusable cards and layouts.
Outcome and reflection
What changed, and what I learned
Classeek's in-house developers built the new site, and the team was very happy with it. Classeek has been featured in Gramophone, Bachtrack and The Violin Channel.
What changed
- The website moved off Wix to an in-house build the team controls.
- The Ambassador Programme gained an open application path alongside nominations.
- One dark, nightlife-inspired language across website, Ambassador materials and print.
What I'd do next time
- Bring evidence to the navigation discussion, for example a quick test of hidden vs. visible navigation.
- Agree on success metrics before launch: applications per season, form drop-off, time to publish.
- Keep design close to development the way our daily stand-ups did, across time zones.
Classical music didn't need to be modernised by removing its identity. It needed the right light.
Press mentions: classeek.com, September 2026.