The Drawdown

Having completed the redesign of Real Deals in 2025, the team at Real Deals Media returned to us with a detailed brief for their second platform, The Drawdown.

As a leading B2B media, intelligence and events brand, The Drawdown required a fresh design and direction to better serve its core audience of operational professionals, CFOs and COOs within the private equity industry. With no major visual update since 2018, the site was overdue a refresh that would bring it in line with the work completed on Real Deals the previous year.

The primary goal was to deliver a modern, mobile-responsive experience that could more effectively signpost high-value insights to a senior audience. A key requirement was the integration of the Operational Leaders Network (OLN), a premium membership tier requiring a dedicated space for exclusive benchmarking data and event content.

We delivered a comprehensive, design-led solution to modernise The Drawdown's user interface, beginning with a thorough audit of the existing site to identify UX inconsistencies and ensure the new design would significantly improve content discovery without disrupting the established backend.

A detailed branding and colour process followed, aligning the new palette with the wider Real Deals Media family while respecting The Drawdown's own identity. With the original brand carrying an Art Deco influence, we introduced the Newsreader font to retain a sense of tradition and authority that resonates with its senior readership.

We restructured how users move through the site with a clearer mega menu and integrated search functionality, while a dynamic homepage layout and enhanced readability ensured content took centre stage, supported by clearly presented membership options. Bespoke modal popups and calls-to-action were designed to work within the Zuora Zephr system, managing varying levels of user access seamlessly.

The project delivered a sleek, mobile-optimised platform that clearly communicates The Drawdown's value to its executive audience. By modernising the visual language and refining the content hierarchy, we successfully reduced friction in the registration process, making it easier for senior leaders to move from casual browsing to free trials and full subscriptions.

Senior operational leaders can now navigate the site's complex data and reports with ease, supporting more informed decision-making across their firms. The new templates have also improved the visibility of sponsored content and optimised ad-serving capabilities.

With the successful integration of the OLN hub and more intuitive trial sign-ups, the platform is now better equipped to drive engagement and support long-term subscriber growth across the global private markets community.