JMU Anime Club
The only student org at James Madison University dedicated solely to fans of Japanese animation.
Type
Independent
Website
Role
UX Designer
Front-End Coder
Tools
HTML
CSS
Bootstrap
Background
Through the JMU SMAD program, our class was tasked with building a website using HTML, Bootstrap, and CSS exclusively.
I had just finished my term as an officer in JMU Anime Club, and figured building a website might boost club recruitment, awareness, and image.
How to increase campus awareness so that more people join Anime Club?
Problem
JMU Anime Club’s recruitment had varied in the previous three years, with roughly 15-30 students attending interest meetings at the start of each academic school year. They also had a steady retention rate of roughly 20%-35% who would remain by the end of the year.
They wanted to increase member recruitment via a platform more accessible to JMU parents, as most of their online presence was through Instagram.
Additionally, Anime club’s 2024-25 officer board had been holding more social events, and wanted to showcase them in new ways.
Design Questions
How to make the platform accessible to audiences less familiar with social media?
How to communicate the social direction our club has taken over the past year?
Planning
Several long-term members had referenced their parents as the ones who told them about JMU Anime Club.
Additionally, many members expressed memories of being nervous and wary of socializing when coming to club their first time.
I concluded the primary focus of the site needed to be on showcasing our club culture- particularly our welcoming environment and fun events- as to ease nervousness and encourage parents to tell their children about us.
I started by collecting photos from our club Instagram and from friends who’d taken them.
THE PROCESS
Visual Design
I use the white and JMU-purple color scheme of our preexisting club logo.
In developing the Navbar, I was sure to include “Cons” as part of the Events tab- cheap convention costs are our most popular membership perk.
I also designed some anime-inspired buffers to put beneath each page’s title.
FInal Product:
I designed the site around photos, to give the greatest glimpse into our club environment.
The first thing the user sees on the home page is a slideshow of the “Greatest of 2024-2025”.
After that, every bit of information about the club has a relevant photo or member-created artwork attached.
