Web Development · Design · CMS · 2025
The Global School
An immersive, scroll-based storytelling website for a global master's program where students travel to multiple countries each semester - built to move as boldly as the programme itself.
Working as an on-demand tech partner alongside a US-based creative agency, we translated their design vision into a robust, production-ready digital system - combining rich animations, an interactive 3D globe, and a headless CMS that the university team could own and update without touching code.
The Challenge
Immersive storytelling at web performance standards.
Immersive Scroll Experience
Creating a scroll-based storytelling website with rich animations and interactive globe visuals for a global master's program, without sacrificing usability or performance.
Rich Interactivity at Scale
Delivering complex GSAP animations, React interactions, and 3D elements while keeping the site fast, responsive, and search-engine-friendly.
Flexible Headless CMS
Providing a flexible content platform so the agency and university team could update pages, programs, faculty, and itineraries without touching code or breaking layout.
Creative vs. Technical Constraints
Balancing creative freedom with technical constraints - ensuring complex animations and 3D elements didn't slow down page speed or hurt SEO.
Agency Tech Partnership
Coordinating closely with the primary creative agency as an on-demand tech partner, translating their design vision into a robust, production-ready digital system that would scale over time.
Our Solution
A JAMstack storytelling platform that performs as well as it looks.
01
Astro, React & Sanity Architecture
Architected the site with Astro, React, and Sanity CMS - a modern JAMstack approach combining high-performance static generation with dynamic, interactive components.
02
SSG/SSR for Core Web Vitals
Used Astro's SSG/SSR capabilities to deliver pre-rendered pages for better Core Web Vitals, fast load times, and strong technical SEO - ideal for a content-heavy university marketing website.
03
Sanity CMS Content Platform
Implemented Sanity CMS as a scalable, schema-driven platform, giving editors structured content types for programs, locations, and stories - with real-time previews and no-code updates.
04
GSAP Animations + Island Architecture
Built all key animations using GSAP and React, leveraging Astro's island architecture to inject interactive components only where needed - reducing JavaScript footprint and improving performance.
05
Interactive Three.js Globe
Customized an open-source three.js globe to visually represent the "global school" journey, turning complex travel itineraries into an engaging, interactive data visualization.
06
Performance-First Delivery
Optimized images, routing, and caching to keep the experience smooth on both desktop and mobile, even with rich media and long storytelling sections - resulting in a distinctive, high-performance website that's easy to maintain.