The University of Chicago Central Site
Web + Graphic Design | Site Development
WHAT I DID
Graphic design, Art direction
SITE DETAILS
With a design last updated at the turn of the millennium, the University of Chicago’s homepage and central site were well overdue for a complete overhaul. After many years of gestation, the redesign project began in earnest in 2007 as a collaboration between Web Services (my erstwhile employers) and the University Communications office. The design requirements were ambitious and complex, and included: (1) Presenting a unified central presence for a huge insitution that is a case study in decentralization, (2) Putting forward an engaging and accessible face to counter outdated perceptions of the University, and (3) Providing a rich and flexible canvas for telling the many amazing stories of the University and its people. With these requirements, Web Services undertook an internal design process in which each designer created an original site design. After scads of critique sessions and refinements, our designs were presented to key stakeholders. I was thrilled to learn, in the fall of 2007, that my design had been selected to become the new online face of the University.
For this design, I created a flexible and modular grid structure that would allow for varied page layouts while emphasizing an underlying unity and consistency across the site. To keep things from getting too rigidly columnar, bright color bars traverse grid sections and create dynamism. The large features module, used on the homepage and other top-level pages, allows for rich and deep storytelling. The typeface Gotham Rounded Light is used throughout; based on engineer’s handwriting, this typeface’s combination of elegance, friendliness, and rigor was ideal for the University’s new message.