Diving Deep into Digital: Our Underwater Museum Website Design for UMA
- Brand Focus
- Apr 27, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 28, 2025
At Brand Focus, we're passionate about bringing unique visions to life, especially when they involve groundbreaking projects that blend art, conservation, and technology. Our long-standing collaboration with the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA), North America’s first permanent underwater sculpture garden, is a testament to this commitment. Since its inception in 2010, the UMA – a pioneering collaboration between the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) and the South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) – has gained national accolades and attracted sell-out crowds, solidifying its place as a premier attraction in Northwest Florida.
Launching a Landmark Digital Presence
From the very beginning, Brand Focus was selected to design and build the museum’s inaugural website. Located in the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of approximately 60 feet, serving as a vibrant gallery for its initial installation of seven sculptures, the UMA demanded a digital presence as unique as its mission. Our goal for the initial Underwater Museum Website Design was to communicate two key aspects: the captivating art and the dynamic, evolving nature of an living underwater gallery. Rather than relying solely on static photography, we incorporated vibrant color, created unique digital artwork, and utilized JavaScript easing and layered animation throughout the site to convey a sense of fluid movement and life.
Beyond the aesthetics, we built a robust, secure, and e-commerce capable website, seamlessly integrating with their event scheduling, ticketing, and volunteer management applications. We also provided extensive professional photography, capturing the artworks, key fundraising events, and the dramatic installation of the sculptures. This initial Underwater Museum Website Design helped garner considerable national attention, with our graphics and photography featured by media outlets including Architectural Digest and the Smithsonian Institution.
Evolving with Growth: The Redesign
Years later, as the UMA continued to grow – with new juried sculptural works from artists worldwide installed annually – the need arose for a fresh digital evolution. Brand Focus was once again trusted to develop a new design that incorporated the valuable lessons learned since the museum’s opening. Central to this redesigned Underwater Museum Website Design was the creation of an interactive, scalable, and visually dynamic map. This innovative feature precisely displays the position of each artwork within the underwater garden, offering photos and additional details to enhance the visitor's experience, whether planning a dive or exploring from shore.
The UMA artists and their families Artist displaying her work being deployed at Grayton Beach Florida Artist posing in front of her cactus shaped sculpture on deployment day for UMA Artists celebrating deployment of their work for the Underwater Museum of Art Spectators in boats observing the deployment of UMA sculptures Artists during UMA deployment day Artists and their loved ones during deployment day for UMA The deployment of an UMA sculpture in Grayton Beach Florida Yellow Submarine sculpture being deployed into the Gulf of Mexico for UMA Artists and friends taking a swim break on the way back from UMA deployment UMA Octopus sculpture isolated before deployment Dandelion UMA Sculpture isolated prior to deployment Genie in the bottle or lamp UMA sculpture Bug Insect sculpture for the underwater museum of art Florida Artist and his sculpture for UMA in Orange Beach, FL Mask sculpture for UMA isolated before deployment in the Gulf Live music during an UMA fundraiser held at Grand Boulevard, South Walton, Florida Local celebrities on 30A during the UMA deployment, Grayton Beach Florida Barge deploying UMA sculptures in Grayton Beach Florida Spectators viewing the deployment of UMA sculptures in Grayton Beach Florida Pineapple UMA sculpture being deployed into the Gulf Artists and organizers at a fundraiser for the underwater museum of art at Grand Boulevard Live music at the UMA fundraiser Dance party at a fundraiser for the underwater museum of art, Grand Boulevard UMA sculptures awaiting deployment in Orange Beach, Florida Walt Hartley interviewing an artist in front of his UMA Sculpture Welder preparing sculptures in Orange Beach, Florida
Our ongoing partnership with UMA also includes producing vivid catalog photography of each year’s art installation and its deployment in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as providing event photography for numerous successful fundraisers held at Grand Boulevard. Brand Focus is proud to support the UMA’s mission through cutting-edge Underwater Museum Website Design, helping to connect art, marine life, and a global audience.
