Van Jones Web Design

Overview of main landing pages

Creative Brief

Crafted Product

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Goal

Van Jones is an outreach partner with Meridian Hill Pictures, a studio comprised of friends of mine and Graphicacy partners. Brandon Kramer, from MHP, recently directed Van's film, The First Step, about his struggle to pass a prison reform law.

As part of this partnership, MHP offered to help Van build a better presence for his new production company, Magic Labs Media.

Primary purpose: enhance the credibility of this new company
On a small budget, create version 1 of the site built on NationBuilder.

A splash page
An About section
1-2 short project profiles
A Contact page

Role

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My roles: Web Design, Art Direction

Van Jones, Magic Labs Media
Jana Carter, Magic Laba Media

Process

Discovery

Observations

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Based on my conversations with Van, we wanted a simple, direct, and intuitive design. This project is personal for Van, too, and we wanted to emphasize things he likes: such as steampunk, evident in one of his logos.

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Like many people in the political arena, Van has endured a lot of negative commentaries, based on public perceptions that he's too accomodating of other viewpoints. However, this ability to listen to and understand other views is one of Van's superpowers. Just watch and listen to some of the clips from Magic Labs Studio. He is into participatory filmmaking and journalism, and he brings that spirit to all his work. From the About page on his current site:

"The Earth is made of stone. But the world is made of stories. If we want new facts, we need new fiction.

Magic Labs Media is a home for mythmakers. We support visionaries who capture the world in new ways – or invent new worlds, altogether. We grow great stories. And we send them out to change the world.

New mythologies birth new movements. New movements trample old lies – and give fragile truths a fighting chance.

Hollywoodn’t. But we will."

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Van has a great deal of reach in our society. He is the former 'green jobs czar' in the White House, under the Obama administration. In addition to his political commentary on CNN, Van also has his own documentary film studio.

Recently, Jeff Bezos awarded Van 100 million dollars to continue his initiatives. Van wants to unify our country while promoting a progressive vision and plan, to help heal social and political polarization.

Bezos donates $100 million each to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef Jose Andres

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and world's wealthiest man, said Tuesday after flying to the edge of space that he planned to award $100 million each to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef José Andrés.

www.cnn.com

Bezos donates $100 million each to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef Jose Andres

Van also has a million Twitter followers. The films that he shares through this simple website have the potential to shape conversations and thinking.

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Because this was a more straightforward project and I confirmed the plan with Van and his team, I didn't do Discovery sketching. I used the NationBuilder platform, popular for community building, to create a simple bespoke design. I also worked with Van's wife, Jana, to design some simple apparel for her organization, Kidpacking:

Shop - kidpacking

www.kidpacking.com

Concepts → Blueprint

Website

The landing page needed to accommodate a logo and a banner headline that makes clear the independent ethos of Magic Labs Media: Hollywoodn't...but we will.

The simplicity of the design pattern, shown in these other Blueprints, below, allowed for the site to change and grow as more content appeared.

Reflection

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This project had straightforward goals for a high-profile client, and I was able to meet Van's needs within the constraints of time and budget. Given Van's recent support from Jeff Bezos and his ongoing partnership with MHP, I'm hopeful that I'll be able to work with him again.