National Immigrant Justice Center
The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) has served more than 11,000 immigrants a year for four decades, but in April 2024, after operating under the umbrella of Heartland Alliance, it became an independent 501(c)(3) for the first time. That meant rebuilding more than a legal entity. NIJC needed its own visual identity, brand voice, and digital infrastructure. With demand for legal representation outpacing supply, the website was more critical than ever for connecting immigrants with pro bono attorneys through the NIJC.
The inherited brand wasn't built for an independent immigrant justice organization. The text-only logo lacked a graphic mark and used a green that failed WCAG accessibility compliance.
The website had aged in parallel. Originally built in Drupal 6 and force-upgraded to Drupal 9, it was Frankenstein-esque on the backend, with inconsistent templates, multiple image upload tools, and governance gaps that strained staff whenever content needed to be updated.
The site also had to serve five very different multilingual audiences: immigrant communities, pro bono attorneys, donors, policymakers, and media.
And the rebuild had a hard deadline: NIJC wanted to unveil the new brand and website together at its annual Human Rights Awards luncheon.
Our mission was to align NIJC's brand and digital presence with its work to defend immigrants and transform systemic injustice in a voice that was bold, compassionate, and credible.
We Delivered
- Platform Migration: Drupal to WordPress
- Structured Page Templates
- Third-Party Software Integrations
- Multilingual Translations
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA Compliance
- Utilized Client-Provided Images + Stock Photography
An identity of their own
Brand + Design
A visual system rooted in NIJC's Hero and Caregiver archetypes that reads as both authoritative and humane.
Results
2 Months Post Launch
I’m amazed at how smoothly things have gone launching and through this entire process. It’s been a pleasure to work with the EDUCO team.
Language is opportunity
Multilingual Accessibility
English and Spanish were designed in parallel, sharing templates, taxonomy, navigation, and editorial workflows. Adelle Sans was chosen specifically to render both languages with equal typographic care.
Findable when it matters most
Resource-First Navigation
Most visitors arrive at the NICJ after a policy announcement, an ICE encounter, or a question that needs an immediate answer. The new information architecture puts answers and action paths first so help is findable in a stressful moment.
Connected, not just collected
Integrated Webform Automation
Every contact, donation, volunteer, pro bono, and career form on the site routes directly to its corresponding software, so the right team gets the right submission in real time, without manual data entry.
