California State University, Los Angeles
For many years, California State University, Los Angeles' Web site unwittingly performed an unfortunate disservice to the institution it purported to represent. It was unwelcoming and uninspiring—hardly befitting a dynamic university committed to offering "excellent and innovative educational opportunities to an urban student population [reflecting] the diversity of the Los Angeles basin." Moreover, the site's navigation was cumbersome and confusing—visitors were routinely unable to locate the information they were seeking. Finally, the site's sub-sections, representing the university's six colleges, were inconsistently designed and developed, thus failing to convey their relationships as interconnected parts of a unified whole.Leadership at Cal State L.A. recognized they had a problem, and enlisted Citrus' expertise to transform their Web site from a liability into an asset—one that conveyed the pride and value of this up-and-coming institution. Citrus initially focused where help was most needed: the site's information design. Frequently sought material was prominently placed in a section of "quicklinks"; these provided quick and easy access to content relating to applying, giving, career services, and more. The navigation as a whole was streamlined and broken down intuitively. Information relating to each of the six individual colleges was segmented accordingly, but consistently presented in the context of the university as a whole.
Citrus then turned to the site's look and feel. The school's colors—black and yellow—present some aesthetic challenges. The former site incorporated a substantial amount of black; the result was dark and forbidding. Citrus opted for a brighter color scheme. A recurring graphical arc, with rays of alternating yellows, represents southern California's warming sun. Citrus designed an updated text treatment of the university's name, and incorporated a more modern version of the school's logo. The new site design is uplifting and inspiring—a much better fit for Cal State L.A.
The new Cal State L.A. site offers a much improved user experience, and accurately conveys the unique qualities of this valuable institution. Citrus was pleased to participate in this interesting—and challenging—project.
www.calstatela.edu