Re-Brand
I led a holistic rebrand and website redesign for Johnson County Library (JOCO Library) to enhance usability, accessibility, and visual cohesion across both digital and physical spaces, guided by insights gathered from library staff and diverse patrons.
Impact
The redesign delivered a modern, cohesive experience for Johnson County Library by simplifying navigation, streamlining essential user flows, and refreshing the brand identity with a cleaner logo, accessible colors, and approachable typography — uniting the library’s digital and physical presence.
I surveyed 11 library staff members and 12 patrons, ranging in age from 9 to 61+, to uncover key usability challenges with the original website and learn which aspects of the brand were important to preserve. Three main issues stood out: patrons needed a simple, intuitive navigation system to organize resources and quickly access the catalog; users between 46 and 61+ found it difficult to navigate the eLibrary and access specific eMagazine publications; and teenagers to young adults (14–25) struggled to find and efficiently use the Reserve a Room feature.
In terms of branding, it was important to strike a balance between a clean, professional look and maintaining a welcoming, community-oriented feel. Preserving original elements like the iconic sunflower logo and color palette was key, while updating colors to improve web accessibility and modernize the visual identity.
I simplified navigation by reducing menu options and grouping resources into broader, intuitive categories for faster wayfinding. The homepage now opens with a large, central catalog search bar and a minimal layout featuring two scrollable carousels for recommendations and bestsellers.
The eLibrary and eMagazines share a streamlined design approach, featuring a central search bar and carousel browsing that highlight popular resources. For eMagazines specifically, I replaced long text lists with clear, visual publication modules that make browsing and searching effortless in one unified page.
The room reservation system became a single, guided flow with dropdowns for location and specs and an interactive scheduling calendar, removing the need to jump between multiple pages.
If the project were to continue, I would develop a comprehensive prototype of the entire website before moving into coding. I would also conduct usability testing with library staff and patrons to gather feedback, create detailed mockups of the library’s full interior, and expand the library’s branding and asset library to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.