Wall Street Journal | ARD

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WALL STREET JOURNAL

Branding | Package Design | Marketing | Graphic Design

UNIVERSITY PROJECT

I had the privilege of representing the University of Maryland at the 2022-2023 American Marketing Association (AMA) International Case Competition, sponsored by The Wall Street Journal. As Design and Creative Director for our five-person team, I spearheaded the visual design, user-interface, and user-experience for a comprehensive rebranding initiative.

Ultimately, our efforts led to a 3rd place finish among 72 competing universities.

CHALLENGE
to reposition The Wall Street Journal to resonate more effectively with college-aged individuals and educational institutions.

Pink Poppy Flowers

Pink Poppy Flowers

My design process began with a deep dive into our target demographic: college students aged 18-24. A UX/UI research survey revealed critical insights, including that over 25 participants found the existing site overwhelming and difficult to navigate. When asked, students frequently cited Spotify as a top website for aesthetics, praising its attractive design and ease of navigation, and a significant 82% of participants expressed a preference for dark mode.

THESE FINDING LED TO THE CORE CONCLUSION
The current site suffered from low user loyalty, a perception of bias, and challenges with information retrieval.

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Inspired by these insights, my design strategy focused on usability and a "less is more" philosophy to simplify the user journey. I incorporated modern design trends, including a dark mode option to address user preferences. By establishing a clear visual hierarchy and a cohesive aesthetic, I was able to declutter the visual landscape and guide users effortlessly through the content, making research and information retrieval a more seamless and enjoyable experience.

This strategic approach led to the development of a new tagline system that resonated deeply with my team and the target audience:

Trust your Decisions – WSJ Official Tagline
Trust your Sources – WSJ Educational Tagline
Trust your Path – WSJ Student Tagline

The "Trust your Path" tagline, in particular, speaks to the anxieties young adults face when navigating post-college life. It acknowledges their diligent research while encouraging self-belief.

To further enhance the user experience and address common student pain points, I proposed features like a personalized dashboard where students could easily save, categorize, and relocate articles for current and future research. This focus on streamlined navigation and an aesthetically pleasing, incentivizing design was central to our strategy for increasing student engagement and subscription rates.

This project was a profound lesson in how design can be a powerful tool for re-engagement and brand transformation, especially when deeply rooted in user understanding.

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