Startup Garage
A standalone website and refreshed brand system for Stanford GSB's flagship startup course
WEB Design · Design Systems · Responsive Design
Role
Designer
Collaborator
Associate Director, Startup Garage
Timeline
Summer 2026
Tools
Figma, Framer
01 — Problem
Everything on one page
Startup Garage's deadlines, course descriptions, logistics, FAQs, and teaching team all lived on a single long page within the GSB website. Comparable Stanford programs had polished, standalone sites, and the course's scrappy identity from its classroom and slide decks appeared nowhere online.
Goal
Give prospective students a clear, standalone impression for Startup Garage, where the most important information is visible at a glance.
02 — Research
Benchmarking 20+ sites
10
Entrepreneurship course sites
12+
Academic & science communication sites
I compared over 20 academic websites side by side, noting which elements communicated information more effectively than others. I paid special attention to how they made deadlines, requirements, and course details easy to scan.
03 — Information Architecture
Deadlines first, details after
Within a five-page structure, I designed the navigation and the homepage hierarchy, ordering it around what prospective students need first.
04 — Brand System
A brand for a hands-on Stanford course
The brand balances the course's hands-on garage energy with the polish of a premier Stanford course. I carried over the teal from Startup Garage's slide decks and paired it with Stanford's Cardinal Red.
05 — Final Designs
Startup Garage
Home
Deadlines and a course overview, visible at a glance.
FAQ
Collapsible sections for quick scanning.
Team
Faculty and staff (information redacted).
06 — Outcome
Delivered as a Framer prototype
I delivered the Home, FAQ, and Team pages for desktop and mobile as a live Framer prototype with the full brand kit. Curriculum and Apply were scoped for a later phase, since they need detailed content and a login-protected application from the course team.
Lesson
Good sites balance brevity and detail
Studying 20+ sites taught me what makes information design work. The best examples gave audiences the essentials at a glance, and let viewers go deeper only when they needed to.
Lesson
Design is also communication
My first check-in left my collaborator confused rather than excited about the work. From then on, I framed each review with a clear scope and the specific feedback I needed, which turned in-progress designs into real oppurtunites to collaborate.
How I'd measure success
Time for students to answer key questions
Plus, "Apply" clicks from the homepage & fewer repetitive emails to course staff.