ABOUT

Brief: The Priestley Centre for Climate Futures
is a world-leading climate centre based at the University of Leeds. They bring together a community of experts across multiple disciplines, such as engineering, health, economics and law, who work together and with external partners to address local and global climate challenges. They strive to ensure climate action is informed by the latest research and translated into real-world impact. Bell has worked with the Priestley Centre since 2024.

Response: We initially helped them refresh their website within the confines of the University of Leeds website template. Their site had been built up over time without an overarching plan, resulting in inconsistencies across the board and a sub-optimal user experience. We audited their existing site for information architecture (IA) and user experience (UX), and we also reviewed how content was presented. We proposed a new information architecture with a much clearer segmentation and flow of information and a change of focus for key page headlines, which were more aspirational and focused on benefits. We wrote this suite of headlines and edited and consolidated the website copy.

Our next project was a policy brief report by their Climate Evidence Unit (CEU), with a supporting video. This project came just after the launch of the new University of Leeds brand and had to follow their new guidelines as well as imagery guidance specific to the Priestley Centre. It was one of the first projects for a University of Leeds entity to adhere to their new guidelines. The project presented evidence of new public perceptions on climate change adaptation in the UK from research with a national representative sample.

Our report and video used the new University of Leeds colour palette, featuring five bold
colours, and split-screen video, a feature of the Priestley Centre sub-brand. We continue to produce impactful materials, including template guidelines, PPT presentations, videos and animations, and numerous reports on topics such as pathways and roadmaps to a fossil fuel phaseout.