Template & Information Design

CDPH Research
Brief Template

A reusable two-page layout system for California Department of Public Health research briefs, designed with Headlands Marketing.

Reusable Template · Custom Icons · WCAG 2.1 · Section 508

Client: California Department of Public Health
Agency: Headlands Marketing
Role: Layout · Information design · Iconography · Brand compliance · Accessible document production
Deliverable: Two-page brief template + custom icon set

Overview

One system,
many briefs.

CDPH and its research partners publish cost-effectiveness briefs on a range of public health policies. Each one carries dense data, citations and partner logos — and each needs to look consistent, on-brand and easy to scan. Instead of designing one-offs, I created a two-page template that any new study can drop into.

The template has already been used across different topics, from the California Healthy Beverage Initiative to a sugar-sweetened beverage tax analysis for the City of Los Angeles. The content changes; the structure, hierarchy and visual language stay the same, so every brief feels part of the same family.

Iconography

An icon library built to grow.

Because every brief reports different outcomes, I designed a modular icon library rather than one-off graphics — cost, reach, active minutes, health care savings, dental health, sugary drinks and more. A shared style (purple and green palette, soft background blob, common ground line) means new icons can be added for future studies and still look like they belong.

Custom purple and green public health icon library showing cost, reach, active minutes, health care savings, dental health and sugary drinks

The Final Brief

The template
in action.

Shown here with real content — two briefs built on the same template: a sugar-sweetened beverage tax analysis for the City of Los Angeles and the California Healthy Beverage Initiative. Page one of each opens with a bold title and summary, then splits into a two-column grid: narrative sections on the left, and on the right a stat panel — a colored header, oversized numbers, short labels and an icon for each finding — so the key results land in seconds. Dotted dividers and a purple base bar give it rhythm without clutter. Page two uses a full-width green header for conclusions, a tinted sidebar call-out, a partner-logo strip and a compact citations area.

Type styles, color roles and spacing are locked into the template so new briefs stay consistent, follow CDPH brand standards, and are produced as tagged PDFs with logical reading order, alt text and accessible contrast to meet WCAG 2.1 and Section 508.

View PDF · Healthy Beverage Initiative View PDF · Los Angeles SSB Tax