PACE Index

Building Trust Through Transparency

PACE Index—a transparency campaign tracking diversity and inclusion across EU climate organizations—needed a digital presence that could do something difficult: celebrate organizational participation while honestly presenting data about exclusion. Operating against a backdrop of racial data skepticism in Europe, the website needed to build trust with multiple audiences: participating organizations, potential future partners, funders, and crucially, people from underrepresented groups considering careers in the climate sector.

Balancing Community and Authority

The core design challenge was tonal. The site needed to feel warm and community-oriented (we're in this together, moving forward as a collective) while maintaining the authority required for a data-driven accountability project. Too corporate and it alienates; too casual and it undermines the seriousness of the work.

Working from initial branding guidelines, I significantly upgraded the visual identity to strike this balance—creating a design system that felt accessible without sacrificing professionalism.

Narrative-First Approach

Rather than defaulting to data-heavy presentations, I structured the site as a narrative-driven, long-scroll experience. The content layout prioritizes storytelling over statistics, presenting the "why" before the "what." This makes the case for transparency campaigns feel human and urgent rather than abstract and administrative.

I implemented bespoke GSAP animations throughout the site to guide users through this narrative—scroll-triggered movements and transitions that create a sense of progression and momentum, reinforcing the message that this is about forward movement and positive change.

Technical Foundation

Built in Webflow with a robust CMS, the site is designed to scale. Phase one establishes the core message and community; future phases will expand to include localized versions with translations and more complex data visualizations as the project grows across Europe.

Outcome

The site positions PACE Index not as a judgmental audit, but as a collaborative movement—a space where organizations can feel proud to participate while acknowledging the work still needed. It makes diversity data feel less like a threat and more like a tool for collective progress.

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