UR Department of Linguistics
Linguistics, Made Visible
Rebuilding the Department of Linguistics' Digital Presence
2025
— With decade-old content and scattered social channels holding it back, the University of Rochester’s Linguistics Department tapped me to lead a multi-phase digital revitalization, modernizing the site, relaunching their Instagram, and putting research and students front and center.
SERVICES
Art Direction, Website Design, Social Media Relaunch
Project Overview
Empower current students by creating an easy-access resource hub; attract top graduate applicants by spotlighting active labs, faculty expertise, and alumni impact; amplify brand awareness; and boost engagement through a cohesive, authentic social presence.
This project was a multi-phase initiative to transform the Department of Linguistics’ digital presence, including a full website redesign, a new social media strategy, and a sustainable content system that amplifies the department’s strengths, connects with its audiences, and supports recruitment, engagement, and fundraising.
Approach
Presentation I gave to faculty on May 2, 2025
As the Art Director and Senior Graphic Designer, I defined the vision and execution across all phases, approved the creative direction at visual checkpoints, mentored a junior, and collaborated with faculty, students, and university marketing to rebuild the website, create a new social media framework, and shape the department’s digital identity for long-term growth.
The design process began with a comprehensive discovery phase where I analyzed peer linguistics departments' digital presences and gathered insights into students' needs and behaviors. I then ran a full content audit across the website and social channels. This foundational work helped establish the project's roadmap.
Process
I sequenced the work into four fast-moving phases. This roadmap delivered early wins while building a cohesive, sustainable brand across web and social.
(1) Launch a Graduate Student Resources Hub to fix immediate pain points; (2) redesign the Research section with new IA and dynamic layouts to spotlight active labs and impact; (3) relaunch the Instagram by establishing visual/written guidelines, templates, and an editorial cadence; and (4) codify identity by creating a department history content plan and redesigning the website's About section.
Make the department’s work visible and its impact unmistakable, expressed through a clean, consistent visual system across web and social.
Final Design
The final designs are a clean, modular system that foregrounds people and research across web and social. Card-based layouts, authentic photography, and plain typography create an accessible, consistent experience—scaling from the graduate resources hub to a unified Instagram feed.
I set a photography-first, minimal vision for the Instagram relaunch—simple, modern, human—anchored by Proxima Nova Black and sparse on-image text. We prioritize original, vibrant community imagery, credit contributors, elevate underrepresented voices, and avoid gimmicky effects. I art-directed a junior to implement it end-to-end: build templates, source/credit photos, and enforce accessibility.
Product Images
"Reimagining Rochester Linguistics turned a decade-old footprint into a living, people-first platform that makes the work, and its impact, immediately visible. The result: clearer paths for students, a credible showcase for prospective scholars and donors, and a reusable system that lets the department tell its story with confidence." — Bryan Prince
Achievements
