Transforming the youth justice system requires more than new ideas. It requires giving government leaders practical tools to turn those ideas into action. Columbia Justice Lab developed a comprehensive 500-page implementation guide to help state and local justice officials navigate complex reform efforts, but its depth also presented a challenge. Dense policy guidance can be difficult for busy public servants to navigate, limiting its accessibility and long-term use.
The opportunity was to rethink how technical assistance could be delivered. Rather than treating the guide as a standalone publication, the project sought to create a cohesive, multi-platform experience that made complex information easier to understand, navigate, and apply. The goal was to equip government leaders, practitioners, and advocates with practical resources they could return to throughout the reform process, transforming a static handbook into an ongoing tool for implementation and change.
I developed a brand identity that broke from the visual conventions of traditional government reports while remaining credible with public sector audiences. Using bold typography, vibrant color, and a more approachable visual language, the identity reflected the communities at the heart of youth justice reform and extended across the publication, website, and webinar series.
The logo was built around the idea of movement and collaboration. Its modular forms come together like building blocks, representing government leaders, community organizations, advocates, and directly impacted people working toward a shared goal. The identity helped turn a dense policy initiative into something more inviting, memorable, and easier to engage with.
Following a two-part workshop with the initiative directors, I also designed an interactive companion website that transformed the publication from a static reference into an ongoing learning platform via Webflow. Rather than expecting users to work through a 500-page handbook, the site organized its guidance into searchable resources, interactive chapter experiences, webinars, and practical implementation tools, making it easier for government leaders, community advocates, and journalists to find what they needed and apply it in their own work.
More than a publication, Taking on Transformation became a tool for growth. It helped the Youth Justice Initiative team at Columbia Justice Lab, which commissioned this project, to secure a fiscal sponsor as it prepared to become an independent organization, while providing a compelling resource to build new partnerships with state and local government leaders as a fledgling organization.
Jonas Richter (Creative Direction), Clara Neumann (Design Direction), Leon Weber (Art Direction), Mia Fischer (UX/UI Design), Daniel Vogt (Copywriting).