Infodemic

Branding | UI/UX Design
Project Overview
Role: Research, Branding, UI/UX designer. Illustrator, Prototypying
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma, Webflow, Midjourney, Canva
Client: TheNewsHouse.com
Date: Nov 2022 - May 2023
Task
How can we develop a brand and design a website for a journaling and reporting project focused on the impact of misinformation on people and society?
TheNewsHouse.com is a multimedia news platform created for Syracuse University to provide students with practical digital skills required for the media industry. Every year, the university selects a topic for students to report on. This year, Syracuse University students spent a year investigating the prevalence and impact of disinformation.

The Infodemic project focuses on the excess of often unreliable information that spreads quickly, making it difficult for people to discern the truth. In this project, I co-directed with Emily Baird to develop the brand, design the website, and assist the web developer with the development process.
Background
During our brainstorming sessions with Emily, we envisioned Infodemic's design ranging from old typewriters to modern holographic technology, reflecting the evolution of information access from traditional to digital means. While technology-related colors tend to be blue and purple, we consciously avoided those colors as we wanted to reflect the growing prevalence of misinformation in today's society. We felt an urgency to convey the importance of the project, which is why we ultimately decided on a vibrant red to symbolize the urgency of the issue at hand.

The choice of Citrus Gothic as the typeface for the Infodemic project was deliberate and purposeful. Its bold and modern sans-serif design, featuring clean lines and geometric shapes, makes it easy to read and visually appealing. Its versatility also allows for use in both headlines and body text, ensuring a consistent and professional look throughout the project. Additionally, the font's bold appearance effectively conveys the project's urgency and mission to raise awareness about the impact of misinformation.
Branding
Designing the homepage layout was a challenge for the Infodemic project, as there were numerous articles to showcase. To address this, we divided the stories into four categories: scams, spin, distrust, and disinformation. However, we faced the challenge of creating an engaging and user-friendly homepage without overwhelming visitors with a large amount of content.

With limited time and resources, our solution was to incorporate animated illustrations to accompany each category. Collaborating with Emily, we were able to bring my illustrations to life and create engaging visuals for the website. This approach proved effective in creating an engaging homepage that not only highlights the articles but also captures the attention of visitors.
UI/UX & Prototypying
Experience Infodemic