Hey, CCJ! I'm Chris Johnson.Carnegie Mellon University
Overview
I led the front-end team for Carnegie Mellon's effort to unify its brand across a large, decentralized web presence while moving key marketing sites into a more flexible Drupal implementation. Our team delivered a new design system with a global header and footer, supported by a centrally managed codebase that allows for customization within a shared framework — a living pattern library in responsive HTML/CSS/JavaScript with WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance and cross-browser testing. I directed the extension of the design to legacy Cascade sites that aren't migrating yet and contributed to strategy, governance, copywriting, and migration support so CMU could manage both platforms during the transition. The engagement involved two CMSs with different front-end approaches: I wrote functional and implementation specs for both, coordinated with the client on Cascade rollout and presentation layer work, and worked with the Drupal contractor on theming and feature development.
Objectives
- Deliver design system and living pattern library applicable to both Drupal and Cascade
- Provide front-end specs and coordination for Cascade (client) and Drupal (contractor) implementations
- Extend design to legacy Cascade sites via new presentation layer
- Ensure responsive, accessible (WCAG 2.1 AA) front-end across desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Support strategy, governance, and migration for dual-platform transition
Tools and Skills
- Astro
- LightningCSS
- UX/UI design with custom CSS/HTML/JS
- Drupal
- Cascade CMS (Hannon Hill)
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Living pattern library
- Project leadership and specs for dual-CMS implementation
- Client and contractor coordination