The PRISM Lab: Research Lab Website
The Edmiston Lab at UChan Mass
Researching how adolescent brains shape anxiety
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4-Page Squarespace Website
Content Strategy
Copywriting and Messaging
Curated Images & Custom Assets
Logo Revamp & Brand Kit
Challenge
Dr. E. Kale Edmiston is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School who has spent the past 15 years studying how the brain and body shape anxiety, from the way we process what we see to the signals we feel from inside. He wanted a landing page for parents searching for answers, a place where they could understand his research and feel comfortable enrolling their child in a study. It also had to hold up for funders, collaborators, and future trainees.
Strategy
An in-depth onboarding conversation surfaced the idea that anchors the whole site: anxiety is part of growing up. Dr. Edmiston believes it’s okay to feel bad, and that no one has to feel bad forever. That belief shaped every decision, from the language to the layout.
The goal was for the website to be a place where parents find clear answers about his research, what it could mean for their child, and feel welcome to take part if it’s a good fit. Dr. Edmiston wanted the site to feel warm, playful, and approachable, never juvenile or cheesy, and credible without sounding clinical or sterile.
Outcome
To get there, I wrote the site’s copy and shaped its design around three choices:
Warm words. Plain, validating copy that never implies a child needs a diagnosis to take part.
Playful visuals. Illustration and color carry the personality, so the writing can stay clear and respectful, especially for teens. The half-head illustrations I designed for the site were inspired by a painting in Dr. Edmiston’s own home.
Layered science. Families get reassurance up front, and researchers find depth a click away.
The name PRISM (Psychiatric Research in Internalizing Symptoms and Sensory Maturation), tied the ethos of the site and his work together. Finally, A walkthrough and reference guide make the site easy to hand off so Dr. Edmiston and his team can maintain.
