The John Carroll School

I designed and developed a modernized web presence for the John Carroll School. This was my first significant professional project, working independently to meet design, development, and client management needs.

Context

As part of a larger software agreement between my company and John Carroll, I was responsible for rebuilding the school website, which had become costly to maintain, poorly integrated with their data systems, and failed to communicate effectively with prospective families. Information architecture was unclear, and WCAG accessibility violations made the site both difficult to navigate and visually unappealing. The administration believed these shortcomings negatively impacted enrollment, community engagement, and their ability to connect with alumni.

Design

I began by addressing the information architecture in collaboration with the school’s marketing director to improve navigability in such a way that it aligned with both visitor and school goals.

I developed a new visual system inspired by IBM’s design language, seeking to be punchy, accessible, and professional. This involved adapting the school’s current application of brand colors within digital contexts to meet web accessibility standards without undermining the school’s identity.

Deliverable

The site was developed in Webflow, and build with an atomic system of over 100 reusable components, tokens variables, and CSS utility classes. Combined with a documented design system, 20 CMS collections, and template strategy, the site empowers school staff to add, edit, and manage content without the need for web-development experience.

Automation was another key way that we further limited the burden of maintenance for school staff. I mapped out the school’s data needs upfront, then worked with our engineering team to build services that pulled information from school databases and updated the site on regular intervals.

Takeaways

This was my first serious professional project of scale, and one where I regularly needed to figure things out on my own. I learned that planning and project management are crucial, but not as much as your ability to adapt. Requirements would shift, new information emerged, and unforeseen problems arose, which meant my ability to learn and stay open-minded was a requirement for this project to succeed.

This project also gave me a profound appreciate and understanding for the role of communication in large-scale projects. When things went wrong—from unmet expectations to technical challenges—my ability to talk with members of my team and the client determined how effectively we were able to address the problem, and reach a solution.

You can explore the finished site at www.johncarroll.org.

Note: As of 2025, site ownership and responsibility for the website has been transferred to the 253 Media company.