The University of St. Thomas is a private Catholic university in Houston, Texas, serving prospective, current, and alumni students across a wide range of academic programs.
Company
St.Thomas
Timeline
2025
—
2026
Role
Principal Designer and Project Manager
Project overview
The University of St. Thomas asked me to design a website that could serve three very different audiences at once: prospective students deciding where to apply, current students who rely on the site day to day, and alumni staying connected to the university. Higher education websites carry an unusually heavy load, they have to recruit, inform, and build community all in one place. My goal was a site that felt welcoming and credible, guided each audience to what they needed quickly, and turned interest into real enrollment action without losing the warmth that defines a Houston university.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was not the design itself, it was alignment. A university website has many stakeholders, and I worked closely with staff, faculty, administrators, and professors, each with their own priorities for what the site should say and show. Bringing those voices into a single, coherent experience took patience, clear communication, and a lot of listening. On top of that, the site had to convert: it needed to move prospective students toward applying while still serving current students and alumni who use it for entirely different reasons. Every page had to balance recruitment goals with everyday usefulness, and do it within the university's existing branded style guide rather than starting from a blank slate.
Results
The finished site delivered a well balanced user experience worthy of a university in Houston. Each audience, prospective, current, and alumni, now has a clear path through the site, and the design supports enrollment goals while staying genuinely useful for daily visitors. Built within the university's brand and shaped through close collaboration with faculty and staff, the project launched in 2026 and went on to receive a Best in Studio award. The result is a website that recruits, informs, and connects, all while reflecting the identity and standards of the University of St. Thomas.
The University of St. Thomas is a private Catholic university in Houston, Texas, serving prospective, current, and alumni students across a wide range of academic programs.
Company
St.Thomas
Timeline
2025
—
2026
Role
Principal Designer and Project Manager
Project overview
The University of St. Thomas asked me to design a website that could serve three very different audiences at once: prospective students deciding where to apply, current students who rely on the site day to day, and alumni staying connected to the university. Higher education websites carry an unusually heavy load, they have to recruit, inform, and build community all in one place. My goal was a site that felt welcoming and credible, guided each audience to what they needed quickly, and turned interest into real enrollment action without losing the warmth that defines a Houston university.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was not the design itself, it was alignment. A university website has many stakeholders, and I worked closely with staff, faculty, administrators, and professors, each with their own priorities for what the site should say and show. Bringing those voices into a single, coherent experience took patience, clear communication, and a lot of listening. On top of that, the site had to convert: it needed to move prospective students toward applying while still serving current students and alumni who use it for entirely different reasons. Every page had to balance recruitment goals with everyday usefulness, and do it within the university's existing branded style guide rather than starting from a blank slate.
Results
The finished site delivered a well balanced user experience worthy of a university in Houston. Each audience, prospective, current, and alumni, now has a clear path through the site, and the design supports enrollment goals while staying genuinely useful for daily visitors. Built within the university's brand and shaped through close collaboration with faculty and staff, the project launched in 2026 and went on to receive a Best in Studio award. The result is a website that recruits, informs, and connects, all while reflecting the identity and standards of the University of St. Thomas.