Student One

A modern website combining vibrant design and smart bookings.

Project requirements

  • Redesign the website to reflect the vibrant and modern spirit of Student One while maintaining alignment with their core brand elements.
  • Refresh the visual identity and tone of voice to better appeal to the target audience.
  • Capture all new visual content to bring the student lifestyle to life on the website.
  • Build a modern, flexible and scalable website that is secure and easy to maintain.
  • Integrate the website with StarRez to enable room search, filtering, and selection based on business rules and user preferences.
  • Develop a seamless booking flow that supports individual and group bookings while automating room allocation to maximise occupancy.
  • Streamline backend processes to reduce manual work for staff while maintaining an intuitive and engaging user experience.

Project requirements

  • Redesign the website to reflect the vibrant and modern spirit of Student One while maintaining alignment with their core brand elements.
  • Refresh the visual identity and tone of voice to better appeal to the target audience.
  • Capture all new visual content to bring the student lifestyle to life on the website.
  • Build a modern, flexible and scalable website that is secure and easy to maintain.
  • Integrate the website with StarRez to enable room search, filtering, and selection based on business rules and user preferences.
  • Develop a seamless booking flow that supports individual and group bookings while automating room allocation to maximise occupancy.
  • Streamline backend processes to reduce manual work for staff while maintaining an intuitive and engaging user experience.

The client

Student One isn’t just accommodation; it’s a vibrant community built for students from around the world. With three purpose-built residences in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, it offers the ultimate combination of city convenience and student lifestyle. Hosting over 2,300 students from 77 countries, the environment is as diverse as it is welcoming.


Everything about Student One is designed to enhance the student experience, from shared spaces like pools, cinemas, and BBQ areas to study zones and gaming lounges. It’s a place where students feel supported, make lifelong friends, and thrive during their studies.

The challenge

Student One was looking for afresh, modern website that truly reflected the essence of their student lifestyle and the appeal of Brisbane as a destination. Their current site felt outdated, lacking the energy and vibrancy their brand represents.


The new site needed to look great, but the challenge didn’t stop there. The site had to deeply integrate with StarRez, their booking and accommodation management platform. Students needed an intuitive way to explore room types based on their preferences, book accommodations efficiently, and even link up with friends for group bookings.


On the backend, the system had to optimise bookings based on business logic, balancing quick and engaging user interactions with efficient administrative processes. And most importantly, it had to be so seamless that minimal staff involvement was required.

What we did

Brand and design

We gave Student One’s website a complete design overhaul, refreshing and elevating its visual identity while remaining true to the essence of their core brand elements.


  • Introduced a new secondary colour palette and refreshed the way brand fonts were used.
  • Developed a conversational, engaging tone of voice that students would connect with, balancing simplicity with energy.
  • Applied a clean, white UI with bursts of vibrant colours and imagery to create a dynamic and exciting digital experience.

Content

To truly bring the student lifestyle to life, we focused on incredible content. Collaborating with Student One, we carried out a shoot that captured the energy, diversity, and vibrancy of the community. The resulting photography and videos were woven into the site as montages and colourful visuals, making every page a celebration of student life.

Sanity CMS

Using Sanity as the headless CMS, we designed a modular, scalable system that allowed for dynamic page creation.


  • Modular UI components were crafted for easy reconfiguration and ongoing flexibility.
  • The CMS interface was made clean, lightweight, and user-friendly to empower Student One’s internal team.
  • The frontend design was responsive and high-performing, ensuring a smooth experience across devices.

Booking flow and StarRez integration

The star of the project was the booking flow, crafted in close collaboration with Student One’s teams and StarRez. We ensured that the system met both their operational needs and user expectations by building a highly integrated and automated solution.


  • The website seamlessly connects with StarRez, pulling in room availability filtered by business rules and search criteria.
  • Group bookings are now effortless, with students able to link their bookings directly with friends.
  • The booking flow was designed to maximise occupancy while reducing manual processes for staff, automating a once labor-intensive workflow.
  • A clean, simple interface balanced speed with a positive user experience, streamlining student interactions from start to finish.

The result

The newly designed Student One website is a visually appealing, fully integrated digital platform that reflects the brand’s vibrant spirit and smart functionality. From dynamic visuals and content to seamless booking processes, the website reinforces Student One’s position as a standout in student accommodation. By combining fresh design with intelligent technology, we delivered a platform that paves the way for an enhanced student experience.


Check out the website here.

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