Grantmakers in the Arts
The [Digital] Reader
The Project
Grantmakers in the Arts produces content regularly that goes to their print publication, “The Reader”. The GIA team was in need of a solution to house all Reader content digitally, in a place that still felt it had the editorial appeal of the origins of The Reader. In collaboration with Katherine Andersen–strategist and copywriter–we worked with the GIA team to help strategically plan the transition to digital, light branding for the new experience, and build them an easy to use Squarespace.
Role + Responsibilities
Lead Designer
Concepts, Visual Design, UI Design, Squarespace Build
The original site was designed and launched in August of 2022.
As with all websites, the content and build have evolved since launch and my involvement.
Branding Directions
The Reader needed a brand that stood alone, but still fit in to the main Grantmakers in the Arts branding. I worked through a handful of potential sub-brand executions for the GIA team to choose from. Ultimately, they decided to go with Direction #4.
Exploration of Templates for Flexibility
Ease of use and quick updating was key for the GIA team in managing this new website. Utilizing Squarespace, we helped them explore different templates and guide them through functionality questions for launch and beyond. A key factor when exploring templates for them was that their content in it’s archive and current state was very text heavy, making it important to emphasize a visual system that did not rely heavily on imagery.
