Columbia School of Journalism

strategy & UX

The goal of this project was to enhance the perceived media authority of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism through its website.

Specifically, the client sought to (1) demonstrate that their alumni were highly-placed, influential and an undeniable presence in the news cycle, and (2) more prominently present the category expertise of their faculty (e.g. expertise in Digital Media, Latin American Affairs, Investigative Reporting…).

Journalism.columbia.edu, Homepage and Events page

At the same time, the website was their main recruiting tool; featuring the breadth of student work, describing the coursework and providing a peek at student life were all important dimensions to address.

Journalism.columbia.edu, Faculty Detail, Faculty Listing, alternate homepage

The solution achieved these goals by:

Bringing the alumni work right to the front pageof the website as a live social media feed
Elevating alumni and faculty news to more prominentplacements
Leaning into the very real drama of news and illustrating through arresting images on the home page
Presenting student work alongside mature alumni work