Brainstorm was charged with presenting a creative medium to communicate the information in a concise and elegant way. “The website was created to communicate collective research on the unique plight and challenges of the Latino student toward access and success in higher education within the United States,” explains Brainstorm’s Bart Caylor. Much of the site’s aesthetic influence comes from the historical art and culture of the audience it represents, with emphasis on presenting information in a nonbiased and objective light. A key influence in the usability and information design of the site was the work of statistician Edward Tufte, pro­fessor emeritus of statistics, information design, interface design and political economy at Yale University, an authority whom The New York Times called “The Leonardo da Vinci of data.”

Main objectives for the site, according to Caylor, were to evoke emotion, present academic research in an accessible manner and transfer rich media and information that would impact change toward a social cause. While the site’s main audience groups include grassroots organizations and individuals hoping to make changes in U.S. policy in this area, additional audiences include academic institutions and local, state and federal policy makers. “This audience typically looks for research that will impact and influence policy decisions,” Caylor says.

Brainstorm’s own philosophy toward web design has to do with creating and highlighting communication that goes beyond words and presentation, inviting the user to engage with the information and thereby retain knowledge. “Websites that are only recreations of traditional print fail to utilize the opportunities of the media,” says Caylor. The emotive impact of this site design stands out. It’s heavy on creative use of Flash and ActionScript, including an XML database content-management system on the backend. The most enjoyable aspect of working on it for everyone involved was the collaboration between design, writing and development that resulted in such an influential, informative and beautiful site. “It is the responsibility of design,” Caylor says, “to take complex information and distill it into approachable and understandable ele­ments that can be accessed and understood by all.” R. Ashby