An initiative of Columbia University, Columbia World Projects brings together scholars and practitioners to develop practical, strategic responses to the world’s most pressing challenges. We created a brand and website to communicate their mission, bring transparency to their rigorous process, and highlight ongoing and future projects.
Columbia World Projects Collaboration for global change
Section 1.A unique identity for an innovative organization.
We built a new brand that responds to three key considerations outlined by stakeholders. The bold, organic design system features interwoven strands to convey the many people, partners, and disciplines working together. The dynamic animations and full-bleed sensibility capture the progressive, open-ended nature of their work. And the diverse color palette and logotype indicates the organization’s position within the university while expressing their independence and reach.
Section 2.Building understanding through context and cues.
Through stakeholder interviews and user research, we found audiences didn’t understand Columbia World Projects’ mission, process, or relationship to the university. We orient visitors through a flat site architecture that uses easy-to-understand language to categorize key areas. Strategically placed calls to action connect the many facets of the organization’s approach and activities, supporting exploration while grounding CWP’s work in a rich context.
Section 3.Flexible tools telling unique stories.
A wealth of organizational and project data remained inaccessible in PDFs across the site. We built a robust, flexible content management system to allow CWP to unpack that information and tell rich stories. That translates to a public-facing experience where diverse layouts engage readers, while a consistent page structure keeps visitors oriented.
