Harper’s Magazine
UX/UI Web Design Content Strategy
Harper’s Magazine, an icon of the lit mag scene, has been around for 175 years and counting. In 2024 they were seeking a partner that could help them make some wholistic improvements to their website on an ad-hoc basis. They didn’t need a full overhaul, but wanted piecemeal changes and improvements that would help them work towards a more cohesive and streamlined visual experience on the site.
As part of the team at Studio Simpatico, I was the go-to designer and client manager for the Harper’s account, working with them to identify what needed to change, strategize how to make those changes, and then to create both wireframes and visual designs. I then packaged and delivered each project for delivery to the Harper’s web development team or their digital subscription management partners for implementation.
175th Anniversary
2025 marked the 175th anniversary of Harper’s Magazine, and the digital team needed a landing page on their website to match the look of the anniversary issue. Using illustrated elements from the issue and a special color palette, I led the art direction and design of the page. We worked to bring to life the static print elements using motion and dynamic layouts, encouraging to engage.
Donate Page
Along with the 175th anniversary celebration came a big fundraising push for the Harper’s Foundation, and the digital team wanted to make sure that the Donation page looked its best. From the outline and content they sent over, I created a new wireframe that brought in elements from across the rest of the site, and told the story of Harper’s.
Annotations
One of Harper’s regular features in their print magazine is the Annotations column, which has a consistent look that adapts to the content each issue. The feature allows particular sections of an image to be pinpointed and discussed in detail, and the digital team found it particularly difficult to adapt to the website. Instead, they simply uploaded a PDF version of the print layout, and added a download button. The team came to us at Studio Simpatico to work out a new solution, and I let UX and visual design on the problem. The end product is a sticky scrolling experience that allows the image to stay stationary while the text changes