The digital experience agency, So Interactive, has unveiled Richfield’s new brand positioning with a bold, mobile-first digital platform that showcases the brand as purpose-led, future-ready, and built around student outcomes.

So Interactive worked closely with Richfield to not only design the site, but also to shape a brand positioning and voice that speaks directly to a diverse audience of students, parents, professionals, and funders. “This project was never just about a website. It was about aligning Richfield’s digital presence with a much bigger mission to become South Africa’s most connected and inclusive higher education brand,” says Darren Mansour, director at So Interactive.

“Digital equity matters and for many of our students, this site is their first point of contact with tertiary education,” says Clea Dias, Group marketing director at Richfield’s holding company, Growth Ten. “We made intentional choices to support bandwidth-conscious users, mobile-first access, and simplified navigation. Removing barriers was a key focus area, because empowering students starts long before they step into a classroom.”

Brand positioning meets digital innovation

Richfield partnered with So Interactive and global research agency Ipsos to build a future-fit brand that is grounded in audience data, refined through strategy, and brought to life through design.

Ipsos led foundational audience research to inform the brand’s direction, while So Interactive translated those insights into a cohesive digital experience by developing personas, creating messaging frameworks, and designing a scalable platform. For So Interactive, this project exemplifies the agency’s approach to digital transformation by blending strategic insight with scalable design systems and human-centred storytelling.

“In today’s higher education landscape, digital presence is directly tied to institutional credibility and growth,” says Mansour. “This was about designing a performance-focused platform that reflects Richfield’s brand evolution, supports user needs, and unlocks long-term value. This project brought together deep research, strategic clarity, and scalable technology to deliver a digital experience that’s as outcome-driven as the institution itself.”

Built around students, backed by strategy

Richfield’s previous website revealed opportunities to improve how users navigated from interest to action. The new digital experience is a strategic response designed to streamline the journey, reduce friction, and guide users with greater clarity.

“We knew we had to reimagine the entire journey,” says Dias. “The goal was to meet users where they are and make every interaction intuitive, helpful, and purposeful.”

From prospective students to funders and parents, the new platform is built to support a wide range of audiences through an adaptable, mobile-first design and scalable content architecture. Behind the scenes, a flexible CMS empowers Richfield’s teams to manage and control content dynamically as their offerings evolve, new programmes launch, or messaging needs shift.

A digital experience that delivers

From the homepage to the programme finder, every component of Richfield’s new digital platform is designed to support long-term growth and institutional credibility. Today, the website not only reflects Richfield’s renewed brand but also serves as a business tool built to drive applications, enquiries, and engagement.

It’s a platform built for scale, created for diverse audiences, and primed for the future of education in South Africa. Most importantly, it reinforces Richfield’s commitment to accessibility, employability, and meaningful impact, both online and on campus.

So Interactive continues to work with purpose-led organisations that are ready to scale through strategy, creativity, and digital execution. From repositioning to high-performance platforms, So Interactive builds digital ecosystems that drive results.

To explore how So Interactive can help your organisation grow, visit the So Interactive website.