Responses by Bronagh Jervis, digital specialist, and Julie McClements, head of design, Eyekiller.

Background: “Artist Oliver Jeffers has cultivated a loyal fan base of art enthusiasts, collectors, educators, parents and kids that have grown up reading his beloved children’s books,” says Bronagh Jervis. “His diverse career as an illustrator, author and activist has deeply connected with these audiences. However, in today’s digital landscape, social media often lacks the sense of exploration and fun inherent in Oliver’s work. The purpose of the website redesign is to rekindle that feeling of exploration and fun.

“The site aims to provide an immersive experience for Oliver’s audience, letting them explore his artwork, stories and projects in a way that social media cannot offer,” Jervis continues. “It serves as a central hub where fans and potential collaborators can connect more deeply with his work. By prioritizing user experience and accessibility, the site ensures that visitors can easily navigate and enjoy the breadth of his creative output.”

Larger picture: “The launch of this website was part of a larger promotional campaign, coinciding with the book tour of his latest book, Begin Again,” says Jervis. “This strategic timing was intended to maximize exposure and engagement, leveraging the heightened public interest surrounding the new release to draw attention to his broader body of work.”

Design core: “At the heart of this redesign lies the objective of unifying Oliver’s expansive portfolio into a single, cohesive online presence,” says Jervis. “The website features a custom-built, user-friendly CMS within Craft CMS, empowering the team to manage content effortlessly. The minimalist design is key to the website’s aesthetic, allowing Oliver”s artwork to take center stage. The flexible theming system enables easy customization of pages, reflecting the diversity of work while maintaining brand consistency. This adaptability ensures that each piece of content retains its unique personality without compromising the overall visual harmony of the site.

“Dynamic content is a standout feature, particularly the homepage video that changes based on the visitor’s location and time of day,” Jervis continues. “This visual content helps visitors feel more connected with Oliver as they get an insight into his creative process. It also rewards eagle-eyed fans who notice the subtle changes when they return to the site.”

Challenges: “We aimed to create an immersive experience that complimented the storytelling in Oliver’s work while letting the user step inside his world, ensuring they felt engaged without being disoriented or overwhelmed; the challenge was to balance this with preserving the integrity of Oliver’s work,” says Julie McClements. “While maintaining a minimalist design for most of the website, we focused on creating themeable pages that enhanced each body of work and flowed together seamlessly without being detrimental to the overall user experience. This approach enabled users to navigate to the next project effortlessly, ensuring a smooth and cohesive exploration through Oliver’s work.”

New lessons: “To incorporate animation and subtle transitions, we used Figma prototyping to test and communicate our vision throughout the process,” McClements explains. “Frequent collaboration enabled us to refine our approach, resulting in a more effective experience that achieved all desired outcomes.

“The storytelling aspect required a unique approach, different from our usual focus on quick information retrieval,” McClements continues. “For this project, our goal was to enhance engagement and immerse users in Oliver’s work and stories. Creating this digital reflection of Oliver was not only a new challenge but also demanded a fresh perspective and innovative thinking.”

Favorite details: “The Oliver Jeffers website means a lot to us,” Jervis says. “Oliver is from Northern Ireland where we are based, so there is a strong local connection, and the entire team was deeply involved from the start. We dedicated a day to immerse ourselves in Oliver’s world by walking the Our Place in Space Trail, a unique 8.5 km (~5.28-mile) scale model of our solar system that he designed in partnership with the Derry-based arts organization Nerve Centre. We also attended a talk by Oliver that explored his body of work and its themes, providing valuable insights.”

“Our understanding of Olivers’ work informed every aspect of the website,” Jervis continues. “We aimed to create a digital space that mirrors the sense of exploration and discovery central to his art. The project has been a transformative experience that not only strengthened our team but also created a platform that captures the essence of Oliver Jeffers’s work, inviting users to explore and discover just as we did.”