Universal Music Group

‍Scalable UX for a Global Brand

My role

Lead UX/UI Designer and Digital Strategist.Designed and structured the digital presence for Universal Music Group’s global platform, creating a system that remains virtually unchanged a decade later.

Project brief

Universal Music Group needed a global digital home that could represent its vast catalog of artists, labels, and initiatives. The challenge was to create a clean, evergreen experience that would stand the test of time and scale with the brand’s continued growth.

Solution in Action

Outcomes

Designed a platform that remains active over a decade later, supporting global content, internal teams, and evolving brand needs without structural redesign.

‍Over 10 years of continued use with the original layout, structure, and visual framework still intact
Scalable content system that accommodates artist updates, label news, and press materials with ease
Consistent global brand presence across audiences—from music fans to corporate partners and media

Tools & Methods

Heuristic Evaluation
‍Assessed existing digital touchpoints for usability, structure, and brand alignment.
Content Audit & Taxonomy Mapping
‍Organized and classified artist, label, and press content to create a unified navigation system.

Information Architecture Design
‍Structured a scalable framework to support long-term updates without UX breakdown.
Modular UI System
‍Designed reusable content blocks and layouts for flexibility across teams and departments.

About

A global platform designed to unify artists, labels, and content in a lasting, scalable experience.

As the largest music company in the world, UMG required a digital platform that could serve as a gateway to its artists, labels, press resources, and corporate communications. The experience had to be lean, professional, and timeless—prioritizing clarity and content flexibility while giving the spotlight to UMG’s roster.

Challenge

The challenge was creating a timeless, scalable platform that could evolve without constant redesign.

The biggest challenge was building a structure and visual design that wouldn’t feel dated in a year—or five. This meant avoiding trends while still being bold enough to stand out in the entertainment space. The site also needed to accommodate an ever-changing artist lineup, updates from multiple labels, and rapid growth—all without rethinking the structure every six months.

Smart Embedding for Long-Term Flexibility

When timelines shift and CMS tools aren’t necessary or feasible, having flexible, update-friendly code becomes essential. This embedded solution demonstrates how you can lock core structure and styling, while still allowing key content areas (in white) to remain editable for future updates.

Whether showcasing a partner like Universal Music Group or managing a microsite without a backend, this approach ensures the UI remains consistent and the code easy to maintain—no CMS required.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
  <meta name="description" content="Explore Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment." />
  <meta property="og:title" content="Universal Music Group" />
  <meta property="og:description" content="Explore Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment." />
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.universalmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/umg-share.jpg" />
  <meta property="og:url" content="http://www.universalmusic.com" />
  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
  <title>Universal Music Group</title>
</head>
<body>
  <section style="font-family: sans-serif; text-align: center; padding: 2rem;">
    <h1>Universal Music Group</h1>
    <p>Click below to visit the official UMG site:</p>
    <a href="http://www.universalmusic.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"
       style="display: inline-block; padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem; background-color: #000; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px;">
      Visit Universal Music Group
    </a>
  </section>
</body>
</html>

Universal Music Group

Click below to visit the official UMG site:

Visit Universal Music Group

Working within constraints

Designing for a global entertainment brand meant balancing high visibility with long-term practicality.

Maintain brand consistency across dozens of labels with unique identities
Support ongoing updates without disrupting the core structure or experience
Balance corporate professionalism with a creative industry presence

Highest consideration

Create a system that could adapt without constant redesign

Ensure the structure supported new content and categories as the company expanded

Quote from client
“We didn’t want flashy—we wanted something that would still work a decade from now. Levi nailed it.”

Discovery

Where is the problem?

Through early internal interviews and a thorough audit of UMG’s content ecosystem, it became clear the real problem wasn’t visual—it was structural. Multiple subdomains and label sites existed with no clear connection or UX consistency. This disconnected the user experience and diluted the brand. Our discovery process surfaced the need for a centralized, navigable, and scalable hub that could serve many audiences—from press to fans to partners.

Previous user flow -

The Universal Music Group website followed a static, siloed structure typical of corporate entertainment sites at the time. The experience was linear, with dropdown-based navigation, alphabetical artist directories, and limited content flexibility. Users often encountered disconnected pages, minimal interactivity, and external redirects for music or video content. There was little cohesion between artist, label, and corporate sections—resulting in a fragmented journey that made exploration feel more like hunting for information than engaging with a dynamic brand. The site needed a unifying system that could adapt with the company’s growth while delivering a modern, intuitive experience for diverse users.

1 - Homepage:
→ Static layout with hero image, basic nav links, and rotating promo banners
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2 - Top Navigation:
→ Dropdown menu with general links: Artists, Labels, News, About Us
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3 - Artist Directory:
→ Alphabetical listing, no filters or dynamic search—often opened in a new tab or page reload
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4 - Artist Page:
→ Basic bio, 1–2 press images, text-heavy layout with few interactive elements
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5 - Label Page:
→ Plain description, logo, links to artist pages (if they were maintained)
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6 - News or Press Releases:
→ Blog-style content with minimal categorization or visual hierarchy
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7 - Contact or About:
‍→ Static corporate contact info, company overview, leadership listing
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8 - External Links to Music Platforms:→ No native audio or video playback; relied on redirecting users to external platforms (iTunes, YouTube, Myspace)

User Experience Challenges

1. Disconnected Content Ecosystem Artist, label, and corporate pages existed in isolation, with no unified navigation or content structure—forcing users to backtrack or rely on search to find related information.
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2. Outdated Navigation Patterns The site relied on dropdown menus and static page links, which weren’t intuitive or mobile-friendly, leading to high bounce rates and difficulty locating relevant content quickly.
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3. Limited Artist Discovery The artist directory was alphabetical and lacked filtering or search intelligence, making it hard for users to explore based on genre, popularity, or new releases.
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4. No Native Multimedia Experience Music and video content was often embedded externally or linked out entirely, creating an inconsistent experience that pulled users away from the UMG brand environment.

Solution

Built a scalable system to unify content, brands, and updates.

User experience Solution

We built a unified platform with clean navigation, modular sections, and flexible templates. The information architecture allowed for scalability without introducing clutter. Content blocks were intentionally minimal, letting the artist images and releases shine. The backend was structured to support frequent updates while maintaining consistency across departments. Every element was built to last—not for launch day, but for the years that followed.

Experience Showcase

Lo-fi to Hi-fi Designs.

The final product is a clean, structured platform that has stood the test of time—both visually and functionally. The site’s modular design, clear hierarchy, and timeless aesthetic have allowed it to remain in use for over a decade without major redesign. Below are key screens that highlight the foundational elements of the experience: homepage structure, artist and label layouts, and the simplified newsroom—all built to scale with UMG’s evolving content while maintaining clarity and consistency.

End notes

Reflections & Takeaways

Longevity Comes from Restraint

This project proved that timeless design isn’t created by chasing trends—it’s built through thoughtful restraint. By focusing on clarity, scalability, and brand alignment, the site has remained functional and relevant for over a decade without relying on visual refreshes or reactive redesigns.

Systems Thinking Wins Long-Term

Rather than designing pages, we designed a system—a framework that could adapt as UMG’s needs evolved. This shift in mindset allowed different departments and teams to contribute content without disrupting the structure, creating a sustainable experience that served multiple audiences.

Simplicity Enables Global Usability

With a worldwide audience, the design needed to work just as well for a music fan in New York as it did for a partner in Tokyo. A simplified layout, clear navigation, and smart content hierarchy ensured that the platform delivered consistency and usability across regions.

The Quiet Wins Matter Most

No flashy animations. No over-designed components. Just a clean, efficient experience that still serves millions today. Sometimes, the work that lasts the longest is the work that stays out of the way—and that’s something I take pride in.

Universal Music Group‍Scalable UX for a Global Brand