May81 - Chris Schwarz - Brave New Agency

The Online Exhibition at a Glance – Key Facts and Figures

“May ’81” is a photographic record of a journey that took place during a unique historical moment—amid a brief and relative easing of communist repression in Poland between August 1980 and December 1981. Seven months after Chris returned to London, martial law was imposed in Poland. The same streets he had walked with his camera just months earlier were now occupied by tanks. Due to the changing political situation and delays from the English publisher, the material was never previously published.

The website was designed as a landing page with an infinite scrolling effect, allowing content to load seamlessly.
Chris Schwarz’s photographs are the centrepiece of the exhibition. Each subpage was individually designed to ensure proper framing and attention to detail.
The website’s visual design mirrors the physical exhibition displayed at the museum in Kraków. We aimed to maintain consistency across all graphic elements of the exhibition.
The number of clicks required to navigate the site has been minimized: users scroll smoothly through the story, with content loading automatically.

99/100
Google Page Speed Test Score on Desktop
93/100
Google Page Speed Test Score on Mobile Devices
2
Number of language versions
92
Number of designed subpages

The Client about the project

We have collaborated with Brave New on several projects, and each time, the final product has met our expectations. This time, organizational factors also played a role in selecting the contractor, as we had a relatively short timeframe for project completion.

The company provided a realistic work schedule that allowed sufficient time for consultations and the conceptualization of the final website layout. The implementation process went smoothly, incorporating our feedback as the client throughout.

Most importantly, the result is an online photography exhibition that looks great on both desktop and mobile devices, despite their fundamentally different characteristics.

What was the most important aspect of the project?

The most significant aspect of the collaboration was understanding the full story of Chris Schwarz and the photographs he created. The beginning of the project required us to deeply explore the events captured in the images.

Both at the start of the work and throughout the design process, we visited the physical exhibition multiple times. This allowed us to solve interface challenges, structure the narrative effectively, and carefully select animations for the photographs.

Fot. Chris Schwarz

What was important to us?

Photos at the Center of Attention

The photographs taken 44 years ago by Chris Schwarz carry a lot of emotion. They capture the daily lives of people at an important moment in their lives. Our main goal when preparing the graphic design was to emphasize the photographs. The design was intended to complement the message already captured in these extraordinary images.

To ensure attention to detail, each subpage was individually prepared at the graphic design stage. This meant over 90 subpage views, but it allowed us to refine the presentation of each photograph.

Offline Version

In addition to the online version of the website, we also needed a solution to display the offline version of the exhibition. The project was coded in React technology to ensure fast performance, both in the online version and on stationary screens at the museum.

Optimization

The website uses a large number of images and videos as backgrounds. We ensured their maximum optimization to guarantee smooth scrolling and instant loading of subsequent sections, eliminating the need to wait long for content to load. Google speed tests confirm the high performance of the site – it achieves scores above 90 out of 100 both on desktop computers and mobile devices.

Infinite Scrolling Effect and Animations

The website uses the infinite scrolling effect, allowing users to focus on the content without being overwhelmed by navigation elements. We also implemented subtle animations that smoothly guide the user through the story without overwhelming them with excessive visual effects.

Two Language Versions

Many of the museum's visitors are from outside Poland, so it was important to create the website in two language versions.

How did the work progress?

Web development consultancy - presentation of a new website project

We began the project by thoroughly studying the story of Chris Schwarz and the photographs, which are the key element of the exhibition. Before starting the design, we visited the Galicia Jewish Museum's exhibition several times, which allowed us to better understand its message and ensure the website's visual consistency with the physical exhibition. During this time, we worked closely with the client, analyzing the most important aspects of the narrative and the way content would be presented online.

After completing the research phase, we moved on to the design work. Our focus was on creating a layout that would allow users to smoothly follow the story through infinite scrolling and automatic content loading. Each subpage was individually designed to appropriately frame the photographs and preserve their authentic character. Once the design was approved, we proceeded with the coding phase, ensuring the website’s performance optimization so that images and animations loaded without delays.

The final step was adding the content and conducting the final tests before the launch. Thanks to prior consultations and direct collaboration with the client, we were able to avoid many potential issues and deliver a website that fully captures the atmosphere of the exhibition.

We believe that the careful approach at every stage—research, design, and implementation—allowed us to create a site that not only presents the content but also engages visitors in a way that is consistent with the museum experience.

Interactive Museum Exhibition Created in Collaboration with the Galicia Jewish Museum