Website Redesign
Materials Science and Engineering Department
Prepared for
North Carolina State University
Role
Web Designer
Duration
14 months (2025 - present)
Challenge
How can the MSE department launch a redesigned website that follows NC State branding, accessibility rules and the traffic patterns that actually bring prospective students to the site?
Approach
I built the redesign around NC State’s voice, tone, typography, colors, logo usage and photography standards, while keeping ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance central to the structure.
Added an accessibility checklist, alt text and caption standards, and clear ownership for updates so the redesign could be managed consistently.
Reviewed traffic data from paid ads on professional society sites, NPR Science Friday, social media buys and Google Search Console so the site reflects real visitor behavior, not just internal assumptions.
Solution
The update moves the site away from the deprecated Hillsborough WordPress theme and moves it to the mobile-first design NC State Theme V4 with feature-rich attractive design options. It prioritizes the top pages with the most clicks, especially directory pages, graduate program pages and faculty research areas. It also elevates the metrics and stories that draw people in, including distinguished honors, high-impact journal publications, rankings, research outcomes and cost-of-living information for prospective graduate students.
Results
This approach creates a more deliberate narrative that blends branding discipline with IMC storytelling.
Shows how IMC planning can support a more inclusive digital presence for a higher education audience.
The project strengthens legal and ethical accessibility practices and makes the site easier to maintain over time.
It supports a stronger launch, better audience alignment and a clearer path from ad click to meaningful engagement with the department.