International Women’s Day falls on March 8th of every year. 2017 also happens to mark the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation’s formation. Combining these two, the Canadian women’s rights nonprofit organization Famous 5 Foundation teamed up with global agency Critical Mass to create 150 Bold Women, a campaign to introduce people to bold Canadian women—past and present—who have acted courageously to change the world. As the central part of the campaign, 150 Bold Women’s site shares the too-often untold stories of Canadian women—like Edith Jesse Archibald, Anna Mae Aquash and Danielle Boileau—and how their bravery was important to history. With the click of a button, the site summons up a brief, inspirational story of one of the lives of 150 women, each linking to an in-depth article that gives more details on their lives and work. The design style follows the foundation’s colors, black and pink; impactful fonts and sassy copy help the content stand out. 

For the site, it was important that loading times be quick, as 150 Bold Women was also made available as an extension for Google Chrome. The extension acts like the site when visitors open a new tab, so the window to capture users’ attention was very small. By keeping pages as simple as possible, content minimal and images compressed, Critical Mass ensured that the site and the extension worked in tandem to deliver content as quickly as possible. Response to the site has been overwhelmingly positive with visitors both appreciating the playful copy and the spotlights on Canadian women’s history; the Famous 5 Foundation’s site has summarily received a spike in traffic since the site’s launch.