joe trzepacz presents
Rockweed Relations
This project was undertaken to develop a clearer, more engaging website for the Maine Rockweed Coalition that highlights the ecological significance of rockweed, clarifies its mission, and highlights existing opportunities for Downeast Maine communities to get involved. It features:
Innovative Design
Strategic Communication
Collaborative Efforts
Project Overview
Purpose and Audience
At a glance, Rockweed Relations is a collaborative design project I’ve been working on with the Maine Rockweed Coalition, a nonprofit that protects the rockweed and kelp forests that carpet Maine’s rocky shores and nearby shallow waters. The project focuses on rebuilding their website so it clearly explains what rockweed is and why it matters for coastal ecosystems, the growing conflicts and concerns around its commercial harvest, and what the Coalition is doing in response through advocacy, research, and community events. The primary audience is people who live, work, or spend time along the Downeast coast, especially shoreline landowners, residents, educators, and visitors, who may see seaweed every day but don’t yet understand its ecological importance or realize what is being done to it. The site is meant to move these users from casual familiarity with “seaweed” toward informed concern and a much clearer sense of what they can do to make an impact.
Aiding The Community With Design
As part of the Roger Williams University Honors Program, I’m required to complete a Community Engagement Experience, a key component of the program’s mission to develop Citizen Scholars, or students who apply their learning through meaningful collaboration with communities.
This experience encourages honors students to move beyond traditional service by engaging critically with real-world issues and contributing to sustainable change. It can take the form of a course-based project, faculty-led trip, or an independent partnership with a community organization.
Through this project with the Maine Rockweed Coalition, I’m fulfilling this requirement by using design and communication to support advocacy in the natural environment. This opportunity allows me to combine academic learning with community impact; one of the central goals of the Honors Program’s commitment to reflective, purpose-driven engagement.
Meet The Project Team
Our team brings together design, education, and local rockweed expertise to support the Maine Rockweed Coalition as it deepens public understanding of rockweed and builds stronger bridges between the coast, classrooms, and community.
Joe Trzepacz
Graphic Design Major
Sean McLaughlin
Secondary Education Major
Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley
MRC Co-Founder, Executive Director
Join Our Journey
Discover the impact of our redesign efforts and see how you can contribute to the Maine Rockweed Coalition’s mission. Get involved today!