COVID Timeline
As COVID-19 unfolded, the University of California became a critical part of the pandemic response. We set out to tell the story of that work and capture its scale and impact in a way that would resonate with our audiences.
Challenge
Telling the story of UC’s pandemic response meant bringing together years of milestones, national events, and deeply personal stories. We needed to balance the depth and scale of the story with an experience that felt approachable and easy to explore.
Approach
Coordinated content, design, and development from initial concept and wireframes through launch, aligning the team around a cohesive experience.
Designed a timeline experience built for exploration rather than a single linear read, allowing users to navigate by date or chapter and expand headlines for additional detail.
Established a visual system that clearly separated national moments from UC milestones, making it easy to understand how the two narratives intersected.
Integrated video bookends and a gradient that shifts from muted tones to vibrant color, visually reinforcing the arc from crisis to hope.
Worked with the content team to incorporate photography, quotes, and short-form storytelling that added emotional weight to the timeline.
Outcome
The timeline became a central element across UC’s digital platforms, used in reports to Regents, government relations outreach, and alumni engagement. It was also adapted into an interactive exhibit for the Lawrence Hall of Science’s grand reopening, reaching thousands of museum visitors.
