LEAP (Legal Education Access Pipeline) is a non-profit organization based out of Los Angeles. Their mission is to diversify the legal profession by preparing underrepresented students to become successful law school applicants, lawyers, and agents of social change.
Project
Website Design
Client
LEAP (Legal Education Access Pipeline)
What I Did
Responsive web design, WordPress development, photo editing, art direction
The Process
The budget in this project didn’t account for a robust UX process, so instead we decided to opt for a Content First design process. The steps for a content first design process include:
- First, identify the various users and their needs
- Prioritize those needs
- Identify what the webpage should get across.
- Select the needs this page will fulfill
- Design the page to support the message and these needs
Identify the Users
Working with the organization’s founder, I was able to define the key users for this product:
- Individuals from the ages of 15-25: Need to relate to content and visual design
- Lawyers in the Los Angeles, CA area: Need relevant information to their area
- Lawyers who just finished their education: Need information about entering the law field
- Young individuals who are passionate about law and social change: Need information about how they can make a difference
Prioritizing the Needs
The topmost important need for the website was to make sure it had information that was relevant to the user. The second most important need was to make sure the design was fresh and relevant to the younger audience.
Identifying what the website should get across
We decided that the website should first and foremost be a hub, a tool for new and upcoming law students to be able to use in order to gain information about scholarships, latest happenings within the area, and information in order to get them aligned within the law school scene in Los Angeles, CA.
Selecting the needs this website will fulfill
- A content hub for law students in Los Angeles
- A place where they can sign up for scholarships
- A place where they can connect with law mentors
- A place where they can find out how they can make an impact in their law professions
Design Choices
LEAP’s color palette utilizes a purple and gold theme. This color combination is young, fresh, and exciting. It connects with a younger audience and is a familiar with LA residents already, as the LA Lakers use similar colors.
Primary Color
#562fc7
Special Buttons
#dda234
Photography
We decided to use urban style photography throughout the website in order to connect with the audience. LA residents would be familiar with such images and would thus feel more connected to the website experience.
Typography
Leap uses two different fonts for the design system. For headlines I went with Oswald. This is a great bold and modern font, that is easy to read in a variety of sizes. It conveys boldness, strength, change, and youth. For the body font I went with EB Garamond. This is a humanistic font and is a great pairing with Oswald. EB Garamond conveys humility, a personal touch, connection, and tradition.
Header style
THIS WORK MATTERS.
Body copy style
Pipeline programs play an important role in building equity in our legal system and our society.
Grid & Layout
In order to create a good experience with a content heavy website, I wanted to break out some of the content into sections in order to highlight certain things. This is an example of using good white space and a two column grid.
Final Design Deliverables
The final design deliverables achieve the needs of the website. The website offers users a place to get information about the topics they need, while also being fresh and current in order to resonate with a younger audience. The website is organized into blocks, making it scalable and editable for future edits.
I had a great time designing this website with a content first approach. Since the launch they have seen increased students interacting with the organization, and an increase in donations and sponsors.
