Youth in Focus Website

Youth in Focus is an afterschool program that uses intensive photography training as a tool to help disadvantaged teens develop personal voice, positive identity, social skills and artistic skills. They offer free, multi-level classes in both film and digital photography, and advanced students participate in our job skills project shooting assignments for hire. Classes are taught by professional teaching artists and supported by volunteer adult mentors. In this way they create a community of support around the students that both encourages and challenges them on their journey to a positive adulthood.

:: Website

As a member of the board I worked with Paula Jakobs and Thom Heileson to redesign and launch a new website. It was a three-month project and had the following design goals and challenges.

Design Goals:

1. Show visitors that Youth in Focus is a place where kids succeed.
2. Present a clear, and well organized organization.
3. Demonstrate that, through photography, we empower urban teens.
4. Visually show that Youth in Focus is a dynamic, fun and caring place to be. It is a program teens want to participate in and donors want to support.
5. Develop the website on a content management system to empower the staff, faculty and board to be able to make changes and keep the website current.

Design Challenges:

1. Youth in Focus works with black and white film photography which can be seen as “old and obsolete.” Present it in a way that is modern and focuses on the outcomes and goals of the program to provide students a voice and empower them to make positive change in their lives.
2. While black and white film photography is a foundation of the Youth in Focus classes, they also teach digital photography. Find a way to balance the visual presentation of both black and white and digital photography.
3. Visually communicate to two distinct audiences. Create a visually exciting site that appeals to teens and create a site that is professional, well-organized and engaging for our older audience of volunteers, local community and donors.