University of Minnesota
In the fall of 2005 I was hired by the University of Minnesota Office of International Programs as a student web/graphic designer. The job position was created as a response to the University’s push for all sites within the university system to follow an overarching template that adheres to brand specifications. This solidifies the University’s visual identity and gives everything within its web presence a unified look. It also opens up many positions within the university for web developers to realign departments’ web presence. However, this is at the sake of the individual identities of the departments that adopt the template. Under the proposed branding system, the use of these templates is mandatory. Designers are stressed to not change colors, sizes, proportions, even the underlying code of these systems. However, during my employment there I effectively communicated to my superiors that the University’s web templates were broken when viewed from a coding standpoint. Yes, they are sufficient visually, but when looking strictly at the code itself, these web templates are best suited for an Internet that was popular in 1999.
To accomplish the goal of realigning OIP’s web presence with XHTML and CSS, I first had to abandon the coding provided by the University’s templates. These templates were grossly outdated and did not embrace web standards. As a result, any website that is built on these templates are not completely accessible to screen readers, handheld devices, people with visual impairments, etc. Visually, I had no qualms with these templates. Granted, they’re quite bland, but this is to be expected from the University’s current branding. Simply stated, design is not a priority. However, I proposed a compromise between the rigid branding efforts of the university and OIP’s brand. Maroon and gold were now replaced with an RGB equivalent of OIP’s pantone swatch. Typography was embraced and deliberate. No paragraph remained undefined within CSS.
More importantly, however, using XHTML and CSS, I realigned OIP’s web presence. By using modular design in combination with CSS, I effectively promoted the ability for easy site-wide updates while maintaining cross platform compatibility, accessibility, and minimum server load. Not only was beautiful markup created, but also a visual design that has all the proper focal points and visual hierarchy.
