WRMC Radio Launches Website Redesign

 

WRMC, the College’s student-run radio station, is launching its new website today. The website, which provides many new features and is designed to become a concentrated source of information for music culture on campus, is coming out in conjunction with a new look for WRMC.  Moss Turpan ’14, the creative director of WRMC, spearheaded the creation of the new website and directed the station’s larger rebranding effort.

Turpan pointed to the changing ways in which students listen to music and learn about new bands as a reason for the site’s redesign.

“The purpose that college radio originally fulfilled was to inform people about up-and-coming music,” said Turpan. “But since the Internet and birth of the music blog, listening to college radio has become less relevant and less necessary to get new music. Part of the aim of the new website is to help WRMC to fulfill the role college radio has always been there to fulfill, [which is] to get out new music. Bolstering our online presence will allow us to combine music blogging with radio programming to bring people new music.”

The decision to redesign the website was driven by a need to improve not only the functionality of the website but also its aesthetic.

“We are using the new website as part of a general rebranding effort for WRMC,” said Turpan. “Not only have we redone the website but we’ve also redone the graphic identity of the station. We’re trying to give WRMC a new face.”

Sam Tolzmann ’14 was commissioned to create hand-drawn elements and graphics to assist in the website’s redesign.

“Drawing elements of the webpage keeps it WRMC-specific, and the drawings make it appealing to users new to our site by softening the edges of the visuals up a bit — they have a hint of a casual or fun feel where standard graphics would likely come off as austere,” said Tolzmann of his artwork.

WRMC’s new webpage has many new features that improve upon the old site, such as a history page, an integrated blog, a concert calendar and a calendar for live broadcasts of College sporting events. The website will also feature an alumni page with updates on alumni news and bands, as a part of WRMC’s effort to better connect with its former student DJs and listeners.

“The concept of the website was to create a framework that would act to reorganize WRMC and reorient us to be an accessible and easy-to-use venue for the student voice on campus,” said WRMC General Manager Dylan Redford ’14.

All radio shows now have a webpage, which will include links to the DJs blogs. The new website also houses recordings, including a new video series of concert recordings.

Turpan worked with administrators within Library and Information Services as well as an external web design company in developing the site.

“The process started with conceiving what we wanted to do with this website. Then over the course of the summer I worked with the web designer and also a team of people involved in WRMC to hash out what the website looked like,” said Turpan.

Turpan worked with an external web design company to finish the site towards the end of the summer, before turning the project over to Ian McBride, the College’s senior software engineer. McBride has worked to create the website since September.

“In terms of time it needed an update – it felt a little outdated,” said Turpan. “We were going for something that looked more new and sleek, something better designed and attentive to aesthetics.”