Overview
The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the country’s most prominent research universities. With new leadership and a strong push to modernize its reputation, USC needed a refreshed digital presence that could unify its many schools and centers under a single brand system. The new site needed to be flexible, visually impactful, and able to scale across the university’s broad ecosystem.
Role
Front End Developer
WordPress, Twig, Pattern Lab, SASS, JavaScript, GSAP
The Problem
The previous USC site was inconsistent and fragmented, with each division maintaining its own look and feel. This diluted the university’s brand and created inefficiencies in site creation and maintenance. The challenge was to build a modular system that maintained brand fidelity while allowing flexibility for schools, departments, and initiatives to tell their own stories.
My Contribution
I was part of the front end team responsible for building the new USC.edu on WordPress. Using Twig templates and Pattern Lab, I developed a component-driven design system that could be reused across multiple schools and divisions. Each component was built with modular SASS for styling, ensuring consistency while allowing for variations in layout and content.
I implemented GSAP animations to bring motion and depth to the brand experience, creating smooth transitions and scroll-based effects that reinforced the dynamic character of the university. JavaScript enhancements supported interactivity, helping prospective students and visitors explore programs, research, and stories with ease.
Working closely with design and strategy teams, I ensured that the new component library translated pixel-perfect designs into a flexible, scalable front end system that could be extended across the entire university ecosystem.
Impact
The new USC site created a unified digital identity for the university, reflecting its role as a leading research institution while also highlighting its cultural and academic vibrancy. The component library became the foundation for future web builds across USC, dramatically reducing costs and timelines while maintaining brand consistency. The addition of animation and interactivity made the site feel modern, accessible, and distinctly USC.