Client: University of Northwestern – St. Paul LIVE SITE
Role: Lead Digital Designer
Contributions: UI/UX Design, Art Direction, Web Strategy, Design System, Accessibility
Overview
The University of Northwestern – St. Paul needed a modern website that could serve a diverse audience—prospective students, current students, faculty, alumni, and donors—while staying true to its faith-based mission. The previous site was dated, and was ready for a refresh!
My job: lead the visual and UX redesign to create a site that was clean, clear, welcoming, and conversion-focused.
Problem
The legacy site presented several opportunities for improvement:
Layouts that lacked clear visual hierarchy, making content harder to scan
Navigation that made it challenging for users to find key information
Branding and visuals that felt outdated and inconsistent
Limited accessibility and mobile optimization, impacting usability on modern devices
My Approach
We approached the redesign with the user at the center, mapping key personas and focusing on their needs throughout the experience. I worked closely with developers, marketing stakeholders, and the university’s leadership team to translate goals into clean, functional, and inspiring design.
Work Highlights
User-Centered Navigation
Restructured the information architecture to prioritize prospective students and streamline content discovery.
Introduced simplified mega-menus
Designed landing pages tailored to admissions, academics, and campus life
Added search and quick-links for improved wayfinding
Visual Redesign + Design System
Established a refreshed visual language that blends academic credibility with approachability and warmth.
Developed a modern, responsive design system
Integrated Northwestern’s brand with a more digital-friendly color palette and typography
Used generous white space and modular grid layouts to improve readability
Custom Icon Library
Created a cohesive icon system to support visual storytelling and improve content scanning across the site.
Designed a full library of custom icons for programs, services, and features
Ensured consistency in line weight, sizing, and style for seamless UI integration
Built icons directly into the design system for easy implementation by developers
Accessibility & Responsiveness
Designed with WCAG standards in mind to ensure access for all users.
Prioritized contrast, text scaling, and semantic structure
Conducted responsive QA to ensure consistency across devices
Conversion-Ready Templates
Built flexible templates to support lead generation, program promotion, and storytelling.
Developed CTAs that align with admissions goals
Designed reusable components for events, faculty bios, and academic programs
Results
The redesigned site launched with overwhelmingly positive feedback from university leadership and users. Key outcomes included:
Stronger engagement from prospective students
Reduced bounce rates on key entry pages
Easier content editing experience for internal teams
Elevated brand perception across digital touchpoints