Our client, Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac), came to us with an urgent brief—create a digital platform that could inform, mobilise, and clarify. The site would need to lay out a decade of complex legal, political, and environmental history in an accessible way while offering tools for community action. It also had to serve a growing coalition of Indigenous land defenders and non-Indigenous allies, from the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition to the Gitxsan Laxyip Youth.
Our task was twofold: develop a clear, editorially driven visual identity, and launch a site that could go live within weeks. We began by building a stark and serious brand language—anchored in a greyscale palette punctuated by a signal orange. The orange evokes warning and urgency while acting as a call to action throughout the interface.
A central visual motif—an orange line cutting vertically through the site—served as both a structural element and a symbol of obstruction and environmental devastation. We developed flexible design patterns that break up dense information: timelines to contextualise key events, a topographic map to localise the threat, and text-only components that emphasise key messages.
Because of the urgency involved, we approached design and WordPress development in a parallel workflow. This allowed us to test and implement editorial patterns directly in the CMS, ensuring the site was not only beautiful and impactful but also functional for a coalition that needed the ability to update it rapidly as the situation evolved.
Launched in summer 2024, the Stop the PRGT website became a critical tool in the campaign’s communications infrastructure. It offered clarity in the face of legal complexity, framed Indigenous resistance efforts with dignity and precision, and gave both citizens and media a reliable, up-to-date source of truth.
Within weeks, the site was shared by leading advocacy groups, featured in media coverage of the blockade, and became a key asset in educating the public. In a political environment where attention spans are short and stakes are high, this project translated a deeply technical, urgent issue into a clear and compelling story.
Supporting partners for the campaign include Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Nass Valley Tribal Protectors Alliance Society, Kispiox Valley Community Centre Association, Gitxsan Laxyip Youth, and Dogwood BC.
