A complete redesign of the main Purdue homepage seen by over 7.5 million people each year. The design includes a user-submitted photo campaign with the background photo changing daily to keep the site fresh and shows campus to the fullest. Analytics drive weekly changes to the content and a customization feature allows users to pick and choose the resources they want to see. Social media is displayed in real time using user-generated content from TINT, a social media aggregator.

Process:

Our process involved months of research, iterations and testing to get the final product we see today. After evaluating our previous design, we did a preliminary round of user testing with two of our largest audience segments; future students and current students. We used a combination of surveys and A/B testing to collect data showing what are users expected to see, how they utilized the site, and what they liked/disliked about the current live version.

After many rounds of designs and two additional rounds of user testing with all audience groups, both task-based and visual comparison, we launched the new homepage redesign.

With companies using personalized marketing becoming more and more popular, we wanted to provide relevant content to each individual user regardless of who they were. Our tiles across the bottom are customizable and able to be saved for each time the user returns to the site.

Research showed our users wanted relevant and fresh content, and proved the value of photography. We capitalized on both by embedding a social media aggregator into the page that displays live content. We also update our news/events items featured proof points on the page multiple times a week.

Our biggest feature is the large hero image which changes every day. We created a campaign, Picture Your Purdue (see “Picture Your Purdue Campaign” project in portfolio to learn more about the campaign) to collect user submitted images of campus, events and their experiences to populate the homepage each day. This has provided a new look and feel to the homepage every time you visit the site and gives campus and the community an opportunity to share their Purdue experience.

And the best part is we are constantly learning and updating as we go. The design has evolved numerous times since the launch date, showing flexibility within both our team and the design itself.

Result:

• Increased University Development Office donors by 133% and donations by 202% using the new redesign and updated strategy campaign 

• Bounce rate has declined 8% and search rate has declined 7.81%. The more simplified and organized design allows users to find what they’re looking for faster and easier.

• Page views has increased 1.5% since last year (over 101k more).

Winner of Silver 2018 Davey Awards - Best Homepage for Website - Feature

Client: Purdue University Marketing

With a rebrand, IGS Energy updated their signup flow including both product selection and the checkout process. Through multiple rounds of user testing, concepting and design iteration, we determined what information was necessary for the user and what the key selling points were.

Our previous flow didn’t include much product information and focused heavily on the price. The new concept focuses on the benefits of choosing a green product, while making it clear what you are signing up for. We added an environmental impact statistic that allows users to visually understand when the product term length increases, so does the impact they are providing.

This design included a lot of scenarios dependent on specific states requirements, available products, development limitations and dynamic text - while also making it work responsively for tablet and mobile.

Pocket-sized brochure targeting women to increase enrollment in the Computer Science program. The design includes program information, testimonials from both a student and faculty member and features a custom die-cut design combining an iron-cross and barrel fold.

The client expressed a goal to increase the current national shortage of women and underrepresented minorities in the field. As one of the university President’s initiatives, this piece was designed with that goal as the main focus.

Result:

Twenty-one percent of first-year computer science majors at Purdue are now women, compared to 13 percent in 2015.

Client: Purdue University College of Science

As part of my role as the Web Designer, I was in charge of designing new webpage templates. This included creating multiple components that we could use across the site, that were both functional and flexible to the content we needed within our CMS. Components were designed to work across all devices.

Due to limitations in resources, we launched our initial set of components, with a list of enhancements that would improve the site including animations, better alignments, image rollovers and updates to image scaling. These improvements would help both the visual layout, as well as the back end performance of the site.

Custom microsite design for targeted recruitment of graduate students for the schools of Agriculture and Health and Human Sciences. Goal is to market these two colleges and make it easier to find a direct line to apply to the graduate school. The sites incorporate a similar look and feel, but each has unique content geared towards the respective audiences.

Result:

Winner of Silver W3 Award - General Website, Marketing

Client: Purdue University Graduate School

Custom online magazine microsite introducing a new online presence for the College of Science alumni magazine, Insights. The design features a bold, photo-heavy introduction with a clean and modern layout highlighting science stories for the college’s alumni, peers and friends.

On the interior story pages, a sticky title bar appears as you scroll down the page that locks to the top and the scroll. With longer stories meaning a longer scroll depending on device, I wanted an easy way for users to be able to access navigation and be reminded of the story title that they were reading.

The content template designs are also flexible to accommodate any story types the magazine may need in the future, including one’s with a large banner, smaller photos, no photo, a table of contents and an archive.

Client: Purdue University College of Science

In August of 2020, IGS Energy went through a total rebrand focusing on a new target audience while promoting themselves as a green energy company. With that rebrand came a focus on social media to be more modern and trendy visually.

For the holidays, I created a mini campaign similar to the “12 Days of Christmas” but instead we focused on “12 Energy Efficiency Tips.” The design was colorful with large, bold type and clear messaging. Every day we posted a new tip that gave our audience a simple thing they can do around their home.

With research showing social media posts with small amounts of copy performed better for us, new design styles were created focusing on bold use of brand colors, large but easy to understand text, and use of circles to mimic our logo and natural elements. These designs relate more to our younger target audience and the content is both informative without being too pushy to buy.

Picture Your Purdue is a social media photo campaign that works in conjunction with the Purdue University homepage. Each day a new image submitted by students, faculty, staff, alumni or the Purdue community is featured as the main hero image. The goal is to get our audience more involved and show Purdue through multiple perspectives, featuring student life, events, athletics and great campus photos. We also are able to benefit from the free, high-quality user-generated content in other marketing pieces.

The campaign kicked off during freshmen student orientation in Fall 2017. We set up a pop-up photo booth on campus and photographed over 1,400 students. In turn, students received a promotional card (see "promotional card” in portfolio") and directed them to the new site to learn more about the campaign and download their high-quality image for free.

Throughout the year, graphics on social media promoted the campaign on the main university channels. The graphics range from general posts, re-sharing images previously submitted, challenges with specific goals, and teasers encouraging the use of the hashtag, #PicturePurdue.

Die cut stickers were designed and given to people who submitted photos and were featured on the Purdue homepage. They helped promote the campaign and provided a fun "thank you" gift to the user-submitted content we received. 

RESULTS:

As of September 14, 2018, we have received 981 total submissions from the campaign. We have been able to display a new image every day on the Purdue University homepage for the past 390 days, featuring 84% external and 16% internal submissions. Of the external submissions, we have featured 198 unique people. Since launching our campaign, there has been over 52,200 visits to the campaign site.

NOTE: As of 9/14/18, I am no longer managing this campaign or the data.

Client - Purdue University Marketing

The Purdue Welcome Center is the entry point for thousands of campus visitors each year. It features four tower kiosks and two large interactive wall displays. With over 20,000 people visiting the Welcome Center each year, I wanted to design an informational yet engaging kiosk to take over one of the large wall monitors.

With interactive kiosks, designing for accessibility was of key importance. We also planned to utilize existing content and repurpose it for this medium. We would pull stories, images and proof points from print and web materials to drive the design.

The design is colorful, fully interactive, and full of great content about the university. Navigation runs down the left side of the design in colorful boxes. The homepage includes a drone video, stories and testimonials from current students, proof points and facts, and a button to the live social media page, displaying real-time content.

The interior templates use the same design to best manage the team’s time building and designing it, as well as maintaining it which was important for our team. The six interior pages all have the same navigation and a consistent banner style across the top. The tiles in the right side of the design will be interactive and will display related content to the left when selected. The light gray box in the design shows where content will load. These base templates are shown without real content. The dark gray tiles will be a mixture of full color images, graphical elements, and cut-outs to break the grid visually.

The goal is to update the content quarterly with new information to keep it fresh and relevant. Due to some issues with the monitor height, I requested we purchase a built-in track pad to connect to accomplish appropriate accessibility standards with navigating these displays.

Client: Purdue University Welcome Center

Signage created for retail locations to promote Purdue merchandise and the benefits of purchasing officially licensed products.

Client: Purdue University Trademarks and Licensing

A complete redesign to the Purdue Alumni Association homepage. The previous design had too many elements throughout the design and lacked a clear focus of the user goals. The new design features a simplified header, allowing easy navigation across the site, while highlighting important news stories, featured profiles and clear call to actions. The design also moved Purdue Alumni Association to be more consistent with the Purdue branding.

Client: Purdue Alumni Association

Purdue Conferences requested a redesign that helped to promote their name more and market their services. Their current site had a lot of information to digest and didn’t visually portray the amazing things they could do.

With the redesign, I provided a unique layout playing off of their new “boxes” logo. I also made their site photography heavy and visually appealing with large shapes, pops of color from the logo and with some interactive elements.

The homepage design staggers boxes of content, mixing between short and informational content, large full color photography, and movement from video. Each section highlights something unique about Purdue Conferences to their users.

One of their key selling points are their staff coordinators. They are the face of every event and with the client throughout the entire process. Instead of a name on a list, I highlighted each coordinator with a personalized staff page, with interactive photos that flipped between a more professional look and a fun image that showed off their personality. I also created a short video highlighting all the coordinators on the homepage.

Updates:

One struggle was being able to find appropriate photography to fill the photo-heavy design. Although the client loved the site, they didn’t have access of photos from all past events. We were able to utilize some, photograph a few events and get the site up and running. In the future with more planning, we plan to replace a lot of the images with more engaging photos from their recent events.

Client: Purdue Conferences

Die cut promotional card for the launch of the Picture Your Purdue campaign (front and back design, showing red die cut line). The cards are distributed during pop-up photo booth events around campus throughout the year. The shape of the card is used in a playful way to present the information about the photography heavy campaign. The camera shape is consistent throughout the campaign. See “Picture Your Purdue Campaign” project in portfolio to learn more about the campaign.

The design involved working closely with a print vendor to ensure a precise cut with the curved shape and quality paper that would not easily tear.

Client: Purdue University Marketing

Custom campaign microsite to increase awareness and enrollment for the Technology, Leadership and Innovation program at Purdue. The microsite provides engaging and useful information about each of the four majors and drives users to the application and degree pages. It also included a paid media campaign that ran concurrently.

Result:

Winner of Gold ADDY Award - Integrated Consumer Advertising Campaign - Local

Winner of Silver CASE Circle of Excellence Award - Campaign

Winner of Silver EDU Digital Marketing Award - Campaign Microsite

Client: Purdue University Polytechnic

Two posters for the Picture Your Purdue campaign. They were hung around campus and distributed inside all the residence halls to spread awareness of the campaign and get students interested. See “Picture Your Purdue Campaign” project in portfolio to learn more about the campaign.

Client - Purdue University Marketing

Custom microsite with a responsive design providing information about youth sports nutrition for extension offices across the state to use when working with contacts within their regional areas. The design uses color and icons in a creative way to emphasize each page. A texture was also created for each content page.

Result:

Winner of Silver W3 Award - General Website, Health

Winner of Silver EDU Digital Marketing Award - Microsite

Client: Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science

Custom-built online magazine template to showcase people, places and events from across the College of Health and Human Sciences. The design follows a consistent branding to the print version of Life360 magazine, while providing a responsive and modern design for online readers.

Result:

Winner of W3 Silver Award - General Website - Marketing

Client: Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences

Social media marketing campaign with a custom-designed microsite, showcasing stories of Purdue students, groups and alumni. Primary goals are to build brand recognition for Purdue, increase applications, yield, and general profiles of our incoming students. Secondary goal is to educate external audiences about the four pillars of Purdue Moves. The design includes featured profiles as well as a social media integration from TINT, a social media aggregator.

Profiles were chosen based on internal submissions and evaluated by our team. Once selected, I scheduled and art directed photoshoots for each to feature on the site along with a personal bio and their story.

Result:

Winner of Silver EDU Digital Marketing Award - Social Media Hub

Client: Purdue University Marketing

Cover design for the 2015 Lycoming County Visitors Guide. The magazine included local attractions, shops, restaurants and events throughout the year. An estimated 20,000 were printed for visitors, with one of the largest local events being the Little League World Series.

Client: Lycoming County Visitors Bureau

Die cut promotional card for the college’s new website and mobile app. Information about the on-campus pharmacy serving the Purdue community is located on the back of the promo card. They will be used to target future and current students during events on campus. 

Client - Purdue University College of Pharmacy

A selection of black and white fine art photography including 35mm and medium format film.

A selection of digital fine art photography.

Tegwen Vitae was a corporate identity group project from college. We created a fictional brand, Tegwen Vitae, marketed as “vodka’s first refillable bottle.” Within the group, I created the company logo, alcohol bottle package design (flat art and mockup) and a magazine advertisement. Our inspiration was the designer, Saul Bass.

This project was a great experience learning to work closely with other designers to deliver a final cohesive brand. Looking back, I wish I had taken an actual photograph of the box design and created a bottle label that could have been included.

Flat art package design for a wooden whistle, Pitch Stix. Package features colorful shapes and a unique design targeting children ages 4-7 years old. Top flaps interlock and a die cut window shows the whistle inside.

*Photo mockup to come

Two wine labels featuring works of French symbolist painter, Odilon Redon. One label was for a white wine and the other for a red wine.