ABOUT

Supporting the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) and other key partners in the creation of an interactive, accessible website that educates audiences about the Holocaust.

PROBLEM
The HMDT, National Holocaust Centre and Museum (NHCM) and the Jewish Museum of Greece commissioned Rhapsody to create an international digital platform that would communicate the collection, identification, and curation of four untold Holocaust testimonies, alongside never-before-seen artefacts and archival materials, to audiences of all ages in an inspiring and user-friendly way.

SOLUTION
Rhapsody provided exceptional creative direction, copywriting, web development and photography services to truly bring the project to life. Our top priority was to portray each person’s story, and the meaning behind each artefact, in a unique and respectful manner, while also developing an appealing and authentic visual identity.

RESULT
The finished website was incredibly well received by the various stakeholders. The official launch event for the experience was attended by over 150 people, including John Hajdu MBE, a Holocaust survivor who shared his personal experiences with attendees, and Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, who discussed refugee experiences past and present and the relevance of ‘ordinary objects’.

Perfecting the UX
To create a smooth user experience, it was imperative that the site’s design seamlessly blended function, aesthetics and history while appealing to a wide range 
of ages with differing levels of knowledge about the subject matter.

The central task was to create a navigation system that allowed the user to control the narrative while engaging with artefacts, journeys and stories along the way. In order to place the artefacts at the heart of the design, we started by photographing each person’s artefact before working out how to bring them to life. 
By capturing these items from every angle to create 360° images, users were able to explore each artefact 
in detail.

The Power of Words
Tone of voice and language were workshopped with the teams from the HMDT, NHCM and Jewish Museum of Greece to ensure all site copy was informative without being intimidating.

With the knowledge that teachers and students made up a key audience group for the experience, any potential gaps in user knowledge were addressed by the addition of pop-out glossary boxes, which helped prevent the pages from becoming too text-heavy. When it came to typefaces, Nocturne Serif was chosen for the body copy, caption and quote type. Created by Mateusz Machalski, the font is a perfect fit for the experience as it’s inspired by Warsaw and its local typographic traditions.

“It was incredible seeing our ideas for the project not just brought to life, but enhanced, strengthened and advanced by Rhapsody. We are so thrilled with the final result and are confident the website will achieve our goals – to engage people with Holocaust education, through artefacts, and to increase knowledge and awareness of the Holocaust. We are already planning on adding more artefacts to the website and look forward to continuing our relationship with Rhapsody.”

Dr Rachel Century
Director of Public Engagement and Deputy Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust