The Design Project Center is a student-run design studio at Ferris State University. Senior design students work with local clients on real branding and user experience projects, while working in additional roles (treasurer, PR, photographer, etc.) to support the studio and keep clients coming back.
The largest problem the DPC faces is brand awareness — no one knows about the free design work available to clients that can't afford it otherwise. Additionally, the website code was very outdated and barely considered mobile users.
The Design Project Center branding and website were already designed when this project was inherited, but the code was archaic and minimally responsive. Our first task was to re-develop and optimize the site to enhance user experience and minimize the effort to keep it up-to-date.
Word of mouth is the main avenue for the DPC to gain brand awareness and reach potential clients. Professors reach out to their networks and to local businesses to find eligible clients, so it was essential that we created business cards for easier distribution of contact information.