Syracuse Cobalt Project

UI Design

In 2015, I was asked to create some concept designs to propose a new Syracuse University home page that repositioned the site as a recruiting tool for prospective students (in lieu of the existing page, which suffered from a ‘cater to all, resonate with none’ content strategy and information architecture). Drawing inspiration from the university’s undergraduate admissions view-books, I designed what became known internally as the Cobalt Project: a modern site that leveraged high-resolution photography to show-then-tell the university story.

While the designs never made it to production, they cemented my team’s involvement in what would become Syracuse.edu.

Contents

  1. Home page on mobile
  2. Home page on desktop
  3. Landing and directory pages
Mobile-first content prioritization ensured that immersive elements on the large-screen version of the site scaled efficiently to smaller screens. Content pagination and collapsible drawers minimized page length and cognitive load, while maintaining a rich experience for users interested in digging deeper.
The large-screen version of the home page, featuring several topic-based photo galleries with quick facts, call-out figures, and important dates and deadlines.
Example interior pages extending the home page’s design language, including a simplified version of the home page for sub-brand landing pages, as well as a faculty directory within a College sub-site.
Go to Homepage