McGill University

The Challenge

Academic content is often rich but difficult to navigate. Long-form thinking, research output, and faculty perspectives require structure and clarity to be effective online.

The challenge was to create a platform that:

• Respected academic rigor without feeling dense or inaccessible

• Supported long-form thought leadership content

• Allowed ideas to be discovered, explored, and shared

• Reflected the authority of McGill while remaining modern and usable

This was not about visual experimentation. It was about precision, hierarchy, and trust.

Approach

We worked closely with stakeholders to understand how faculty members publish, how readers explore academic content, and how thought leadership differs from traditional editorial or marketing websites.

Our focus was on:

• Information architecture that supports depth without overwhelm

• Clear typographic hierarchy for long-form reading

• Flexible templates for essays, research, and commentary

• Navigation systems that encourage exploration across themes

• Performance and accessibility appropriate for an academic audience

Every design and development decision prioritized clarity and longevity over trends.

The Breakthrough

The defining insight was that the website could not behave like a store. It needed to behave like a curated archive.

The breakthrough came with the story timeline feature. Rather than pushing products forward immediately, the site first situates the visitor inside Marina Bulgari’s history and influence. It establishes context, authorship, and legacy before any transaction is invited.

The timeline became the backbone of the experience. It framed the jewelry not as inventory, but as cultural artifacts shaped by decades of vision and craftsmanship.

Once that narrative was in place, commerce could exist without feeling transactional.

Solution

We designed and developed a custom thought leadership website that functions as a digital home for faculty ideas.

The platform enables:

• Structured presentation of research and perspectives

• Easy content management for internal teams

• A reading experience designed for focus and comprehension

• A visual language aligned with McGill’s academic stature

The result is a site that does not compete with the content. It supports it.

Outcome

The faculty gained a dedicated platform to publish and share ideas in a way that feels intentional and authoritative. The website serves as a long-term foundation for thought leadership, allowing McGill to extend its intellectual presence beyond classrooms and journals.

The platform balances academic seriousness with modern usability, making complex ideas easier to engage with without diluting their substance.

Why This Project Matters to Métisse

This project reinforced the importance of restraint in design. When the content carries weight, the interface must know when to step back.

Working with McGill University affirmed our ability to operate as trusted partners in high-stakes, knowledge-driven environments. It demonstrated that good design is not about amplification, but about creating the right conditions for ideas to be understood.