Muhammad Ali Center

Museum websites are notoriously dense and content-heavy – and as MAC is a museum and so much more, we knew we had our work cut out for us. To begin, we started with a very thorough Discovery phase, in which we worked hand-in-hand with key stakeholders at Field Theory and the Muhammad Ali Center to lay out a clear and effective information architecture that would quickly direct users to the main sections of the website and elevate the most important elements of each page.

In the process, we looked for creative, elegant ways for the MAC team to grow the website over time. We identified a number of flexible, stackable content modules that could be mixed and matched for a wide array of content needs sitewide, so that the new website can stay adaptable for years to come.

Meanwhile, we started to explore options for a more modern visual design that would engage a new generation of visitors without alienating the older and more traditional audience. We also sought to connect the physical experience with the website experience by taking inspiration from the architecture of the building itself, and to connect the past with the present by utilizing MAC’s huge database of historical photography in concert with bold pops of color and modern typography.

From the start, we knew that we wanted the MAC website to emulate the personal characteristics of The Greatest himself. Both audacious and refined, physical and artistic, adored by millions and unafraid of controversy, Muhammad Ali truly embodied the proverbial butterfly and the bee throughout the many stages of his life.

The new design would therefore have to deliver a series of one-two punches while staying light on its feet. Our aim was to produce an experience that was bold yet elegant, colorful yet readable, and that honors history while remaining focused on the future. It took (a bit of) daring to combine 3 fonts – it’s unusual enough within Dogstudio to be worth mentioning…! The combination of Founders Grotesk X-Condensed [Klim Type Foundry], Antonia Variable [Typejockeys] and Guillon [Feedtype] creates a unique hierarchy between the site’s content, ensuring a comfortable read but also maximum visual impact. Elegant and bold you said? Well, this is reflecting perfectly Ali’s personality. Welcome on Muhammad Ali Center website, and nowhere else.

Of course, no website for the Muhammad Ali Center would be complete without a space dedicated to The Greatest himself. The timeline is almost like a site within a site, a more immersive experience for browsing the key events in Ali’s life. And because we wanted to make MAC team’s life as easy as possible, it is designed to be fully CMS-editable (as is almost the entire site). And that’s really cool.