Coalition Building on Campus
A digital archive to document black student activism in Canadian universities

About the project
client | rosalind hampton, assistant professor at University of Toronto |
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year | 2023 |
role | Branding, UX/UI Design, Front End Development |
collaborators | Sabine Rosenberg (Back End Development) and Elio Bidinost (UX/UI Design, Front End Development, Project Management) |
the challenge | CBoC emerged from the need to preserve and celebrate the history of Black student activism, organizing, and coalition building across Canadian university campuses. It aims to provide a digital archive space to share artifacts to inspire future generations and foster a sense of community. |
the solution | We created a website with an accessible and user-frienfly interface combined with a robust archive system for artifacts, stories, and multimedia content. Reusable and customisable layout templates allow the clients to weave their artefacts into stories which allow the audience to get a better grasp of their historical context. |
We set up clear design goals together with the client to make sure we understood their needs and their target audience (university students, researchers and activists).
- Accessibility : Ensure the website is inclusive and accessible to all users
- User-friendliness : Create an intuitive platform for easy navigation and contribution
- Preservation: Develop a robust archive and information architecture system
- Community Engagement: Foster a sense of community and collaboration among users
- Visual Storytelling: Use design elements to amplify the impact of artifact stories
- Branding : Create a unique identity to stand out among competitors and collaborators
The unique visual design and branding of the website makes CBoC stand out among other activist initiatives by staying away from stereotypical visuals.

The website’s user-centric and accessible design feature a sticky menu in the header including search bar which leads to more advanced filtering options for easy navigation and retrieval of information.

The colourful yet monochromatic palette provides a retro yet modern atmosphere which befits the archival theme of the website while providing clear visual indication of page navigation.

The Neue Black by black designer Tré Seals was chosen as the primary typeface for our titles because of its bold and powerful personality and its background as it is inspired by signage from the Chicago Freedom Movement, an advocacy campaign spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Montserrat with its formal and legible shapes became a good complement to The Neue Black.


Although we recommend viewing this website on desktop for the best experience, the responsive design allows for various devices.


The CMS platform was set up to create an efficient and user-friendly archive system allowing the client to easily collect community contributions and classify them using metadata tagging, ensuring the content is searchable and organised.


As artefacts varied significantly in format, size and photo quality, we made use of an interactive black and white filter to create a harmonious visual on the collection and search page. Hovering over a photo reveals the original colours allowing for a fun exploration of the archive.