Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation

Editorial storytelling for community impact.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism, the arts, and the communities where the Knight brothers once ran newspapers, but its website told that story like a grant database. The redesign reframes knightfoundation.org as a storytelling platform, where community impact features lead and the grant-making follows. The homepage rotates through cinematic features, from historic spaces in Philadelphia to a love letter to Detroit, each with its own themed article treatment. A motion-led navigation, a photography playbook, and a component library keep the system flexible for the foundation's editors, so every new story feels designed rather than templated.

Website Design

Wireframing

Design System

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Homepage hero: 'A Love Letter to Detroit'

Stories first, grants second

Design direction comes from the photography: real people in real places, shot documentary style. Layouts stay quiet, type leads, and color arrives through imagery. The article system supports themed series with distinct art direction while staying inside one design language.

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Themed article layout, full scroll