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The Society of Publication Designers

SPD Website Redesign.

Cathy Doss Giovanni Terzano Vedang Lambe Kudirat Alimi
Client Demo · May 2026
02 · Problem
The problem

SPD has strong content, but it's hard to find what you're looking for.

People come in with a goal, but aren't sure where to go first.

The starting point 02 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
03 · What we did
How we got here

We watched four designers try to use the current site.

01
Who we spoke to
A student designer, a junior brand designer, a digital marketing lead, and a senior CTO at a tech studio.
02
What we asked them to do
Find a job. Figure out what membership offers. Find a competition. Explain what SPD does.
03
What we watched for
Hesitation, backtracking, dead ends, and "I don't know" moments.
Video User interview recording interview.mov Drop a video file here
User interviews · task analysis · site walkthroughs 03 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
04 · What we heard
What kept happening

People came in with a task and couldn't finish it.

01

Nav was overwhelming.

"The grouping of things is confusing."

02

People couldn't tell what content was what.

"I don't know how it's organized at all."

03

Membership value wasn't clear.

"They're not really advertising it. I probably wouldn't join."

"It took me at least two clicks to find out who SPD are."
Senior CTO, tech studio
"Their strong points is definitely their content. Their weak points is their organization."
Junior designer interview
Real quotes · from interview transcripts 04 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
05 · Personas
Who we designed for

Three real visitor types.

Persona 1
Figma image Alex Drop image here
Alex, new visitor persona
Alex
The new visitor
App developer at Capital One, new to SPD and the editorial design world.
Wants tounderstand what SPD is and submit work to a competition.
  • A clear "what is SPD" moment on the homepage.
  • An obvious entry point for competitions.
  • Less jargon and unexplained series names.
Persona 2
Figma image Maya Drop image here
Maya, mid-career designer persona
Maya
The mid-career creative
Brand and editorial designer in Brooklyn, 5+ years in. Considering membership.
Wants tofind freelance gigs, awards, and a peer community.
  • A real preview of what membership unlocks.
  • Job board, awards, and events surfaced together.
  • Proof that SPD is active, not archival.
Persona 3
Figma image Mike Drop image here
Mike, design student persona
Mike
The design student
Senior BFA student and design intern in LA, browsing for inspiration.
Wants toenter student competitions and see real editorial work.
  • A student section that doesn't sit behind a sign-up wall.
  • Plain-language section labels.
  • Visible entry points to current competitions.
Built from interview transcripts · real personas, not generic ones 05 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
06 · Personas → flows
From people to flows

Each persona pointed us at a flow that needed work.

Mike, Student Designer
Homepage

As a student designer, I want a clear starting point, so I can understand where to go without clicking through random sections.

Alex, New Visitor
About SPD

As a new visitor, I want to quickly understand what SPD is, so I can decide if it feels relevant to me.

Maya, Active Designer
Job Board

As an active designer, I want to find roles quickly, so I can see whether SPD is useful before committing to membership.

Three flows the redesign focuses on 06 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
07 · Where the site stands
Where the site is strong, and where it breaks down

SPD has the credibility. The structure undersells it.

SPD SWOT analysis
Strength

Strong content. Cohesive editorial brand.

Visitors describe SPD as "clean, like a gallery." That credibility is real.

Friction

The structure hides the work.

Eight broad nav labels with sub-categories. People stop guessing.

Risk

The actions that matter most are buried.

Membership, the job board, and competitions are the reasons people come. They sit deep in the menu.

Opportunity

Restraint is the unusual move in this category.

Peers run visually busy. A disciplined system signals competence.

SWOT · reframed as product risks and opportunities 07 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
08 · The shift
The shift
From

Built around the archive.

  • People had to figure out the structure before they could act.
  • Important pages (membership, jobs) sat behind multiple clicks.
→
To

Built around what people do.

  • Top nav matches the reasons people come.
  • Membership, jobs, and competitions become destinations.
The redesign in one sentence 08 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
09 · Navigation
Navigation

We reorganized navigation based on how people expect to find things.

We grouped pages by task instead of by SPD's internal categories.

  • Used card sorting to identify how users naturally group content.
  • Reduced navigation from a large, overwhelming set to ~4–5 core categories.
  • Prioritized key user actions like jobs, membership, and exploration.
  • Organized structure around user goals instead of internal categories.
The hamburger menu was the easiest thing to look into. Everything else was guessing. Designer interview
Card sorting · sitemap · new top-level paths 09 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
10 · Homepage
Homepage redesign

From a wall of content to clear sections.

Refined · Homepage
What people need (Mike)
A clear first step the moment they land. Fewer overlapping content types.
What was broken
Eight nav labels, four hero messages, dense module stack."I just sort of clicking through, being like, okay, they do this, they do this. Alright, I'm just going to click all of them find out."
What changed
A bento-style layout that breaks the page into clear sections. Each card pulls people into a specific area instead of throwing everything at once.
Why it matters
Visitors get pulled into the right area without having to read everything first.
The page that meets new visitors first 10 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
11 · About SPD
About page redesign

Who SPD is, without two extra clicks.

Refined · About
What people need (Alex)
A quick read of who SPD is, who it serves, and why it matters.
What was broken
Identity and mission were buried inside long prose."It took me at least two clicks to find out who SPD are."
What changed
Cleaner structure with scannable sections for mission, what SPD does, and who it serves. Visible without scrolling through dense paragraphs.
Why it matters
Prospective members can decide if SPD is for them in seconds, not minutes.
The page that makes the case for SPD 11 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
12 · Job board
Job board redesign · key feature

The benefit that keeps designers coming back.

Refined · Job Board
What people need (Maya)
Editorial roles she can find, scan, and filter without paying first.
What was broken
The job board sat under a generic Resources area, several clicks deep."I forget where the job board is."
What changed
Lives directly under Browse. Role and location filters surface up front. The job board gets its own destination, not a buried link.
Why it matters
It's the strongest reason designers come back, and the strongest reason to join.
A core member benefit, surfaced where members already are 12 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
13 · Impact
What this unlocks

Three things look different now.

Fewer clicks to act.

Membership, jobs, and competitions are one step from the homepage. They used to be three.

Decisions happen on the page.

Tier comparison sits side by side, instead of asking visitors to scroll and remember.

Cycles ship as content, not redesign.

Recurring pages share one shape, so adding a year doesn't add design work.

The Society of Publication Designers · 2026 13 / 14
Client Demo · May 2026
14 · In closing
The Society of Publication Designers

Make great work easier to find.

So the focus stays where it belongs.

Cathy Doss · Giovanni Terzano · Vedang Lambe · Kudirat Alimi Thank you
The Society of Publication Designers · 2026 14 / 14