University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts

Website


Filed Under
  • Digital

Scope of Project
  • Web Design
  • Web Development
  • Graphic Design

The College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois is one of the best in the country. They approached us to redesign their website to better support student recruitment and fundraising efforts, as well as strengthen the college’s reputation by positioning it favorably as a vibrant and visionary leader in higher education.

The site needed to provide general information about the college as a whole and quickly introduce visitors to the seven academic units, the college’s facilities, programs, and their ongoing initiatives. It also needed to be easy to update and edit by contributors with widely varying web experience.

Our solution centered around the creativity of the students and faculty. Using the website menus, we’re literally framing the student/faculty work. With CSS3 Transition Menus and dynamic content presentation with J Query, we created a smooth and engaging user experience that lets the messaging and the work stand out.

University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website
University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website
University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website
University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website

The College of Fine and Applied Arts Website was honored with a Gold Award and a Judge’s Choice Award at the 45th Annual UCDA Design Competition. Of the 1,091 entries received, only 7 Gold Awards and 5 Judge’s Choice Awards were given. The awards mean a lot coming from an organization who understands the importance and value of visual communications. The UCDA (University and College Designers Association) was founded in 1970 as the nation’s first and only association for professionals involved in the creation of visual communications for educational institutions.

“The individual elements of the site flow together in a way that creates an engaging, easy to use interface that keeps the viewer interested. The interaction becomes natural, making the design seamless so as to create a situation where the viewer forgets the actual design, looking past it for content. The ultimate compliment to a designer is that the design works in this way, allowing the message to shine.”

– Sarah Haig, 2015 UCDA Design Awards Judge

University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website
University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts - Website