Upon receiving the necessary files, I first focused on getting acclimated with the existing HTML/CSS and modifying the organization of the site. When it was initially coded, students had individual headshots accompanying their names, but each image bubble was now a slightly misshapen blob of color with unnecessary repeating labels on the top and names below. Additionally, seniors had large images, while juniors and masters students had tiny ones, unfairly denoting more importance of some students than others. To clean this section up, I switched the blobs out with proper circles, eliminated individual class labels in favor of headings before each group, and adjusted the student names to lay within each circle. I also reworked the code to make every circle a uniform size, giving every student the same level of importance on the page, and adjusted other misaligned elements to ensure everything appeared clear and purposeful. These alterations significantly reduced the amount of visual clutter created by unnecessary elements and made the section legible and clean. 

To effectively capture the energy and fresh talent emerging from the graduating participants, I chose to focus on the Pantone Spring/Summer 2023 New York Fashion Week colors to match graduation season, which I filtered down to a bright, optimistic palette of 5 hues. After selecting the new palette, I edited the existing brand elements and played with different color combinations, later surveying students and faculty to get their input on 4 selected styles. The final design not only represented the input and vibrant creativity of the students, but also the University of Illinois in mimicking it’s main colors of orange and blue.