ICMP

The Challenge

The International Commission on Missing Persons was founded by Bill Clinton to help governments locate missing people—often in the aftermath of conflicts, disasters, or human rights violations. Serious work with a global audience.

Their website needed to match that seriousness while remaining accessible to users worldwide. Different devices, different browsers, different connection speeds, different accessibility needs. The site couldn't rely on the latest browser features when someone in a crisis zone might be accessing it on whatever device they can find.

Our Approach

We spent six months on this, starting with discovery. Mood boards helped establish the visual direction—authoritative but humane, professional but approachable. The resulting style guide became the foundation for everything that followed.

WordPress was the practical choice: widely understood, easy to maintain, and capable of handling multilingual content. The ICMP works with governments and families across the globe, so the site needed to support different languages without technical gymnastics.

Progressive enhancement was the philosophy throughout. Core content works everywhere, even on old browsers and slow connections. Modern features enhance the experience where supported but aren't required for basic functionality. This isn't just good practice—for an organisation like ICMP, it's essential.

The Results

The site launched and served its purpose: communicating ICMP's mission and work to audiences ranging from UN officials to families searching for answers.

Working on something that matters beyond commercial metrics is a reminder of why we do this work. Not every project is about selling more widgets.