We treat our past, present, and future as equally important and relevant moments in our narrative of the McGill experience.聽In doing so, we reinforce a sense of continuity and enduring quality.聽

In this last value, we consider how we deploy traditional aesthetic cues about what鈥檚 new or old. The past doesn't need to feel old, boring, or separate.聽It's inspiring to see history in a way that feels immediate, fresh, and relevant. After all, ideas that are commonplace now were once new and exciting! McGill's Bicentennial website was a great opportunity to explore presenting old material in a new way:

The archival material was rendered in a more modern way with the selection of a contemporary-looking archival image. We enhanced this with square cropping, bright accent colors, and bold typography.聽

Similarly, it can be interesting to look at the present as "recent history." Perhaps current breakthroughs will appear commonplace to future generations. How might we present a new idea in a way that shows its power to endure over time?

In the example above, a contemporary photo is rendered in black and white and paired with the temporally ambiguous (modern but also somewhat聽) M shape. The mixing of sans and serif typography further blurs the signifiers of old vs. new. This allows the design to create an interesting continuum between past and present.

In both examples, we聽avoid making simplistic choices about how we style the past, present, and future in our designs. This lets us show our depth as an institution and also creates a more memorable and interesting experience.聽