Case Study B | UNIT01® - Webflow HTML website template

The Smiley Face Museum

// services

TYPOGRAPHY III
CN#2026
Professor:
Chris Lange

The Smile Face Museum is an online archive dedicated to one of the world’s most recognizable symbols — the smiley face. Despite its playful subject, the original site felt flat, cluttered, and disconnected from the quirky charm that defines the collection. My goal was to completely reimagine the experience — to build a space that felt as eccentric, joyful, and weirdly human as the smile itself.

I approached the redesign with one guiding idea: turn boring into brilliantly bizarre.
The smiley face is a cultural icon that has lived many lives — from counterculture art to corporate branding to meme culture. I wanted the new site to reflect that timeline of transformation, blending nostalgic ’90s web aesthetics with bold, contemporary design.The concept wasn’t about making the smiley “cute” — it was about making it alive. Every page became an interactive expression of emotion, humour, and digital personality

Design Direction.

I started with wireframes for four to five key pages — each designed in both desktop (1440px) and mobile (375px)viewports to keep the energy consistent across screens. The homepage was expanded into four view sizes (extra-wide, desktop, tablet, and mobile) to explore how playfulness could adapt responsively.The design language centered on:Expressive Typography: Oversized headlines, distorted letters, and bold sans-serifs that echo sticker art and early web graphics.Vibrant Colour Palette: A clash of yellow, electric blue, and acid pink — chaotic but controlled.Textures + Patterns: Grain, gradients, and retro smile icons that created depth and imperfection.Microinteractions: Playful hover states, bouncing icons, and subtle motion that made every click feel intentional and alive.

This was easily one of my most fun and freeing design projects. It reminded me that not every website needs to play it safe — sometimes, the best design decision is to break a few rules. Balancing functionality with chaos was the challenge, but that’s what made it exciting.The Smile Face Museum redesign taught me that personality can live inside a layout — through colour, motion, and humour. It’s a reminder that design doesn’t have to whisper. Sometimes, it should grin.

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