M WOODS is a leading independent art museum in Beijing’s 798 art district. But it lacked a digital hub to reflect the calm, minimal presence of its physical space. Without a website that could effectively showcase current exhibitions and speak to both Chinese and international audiences, M WOODS risked being overlooked in a crowded cultural space.
Our approach
We built a clean, multilingual website that mirrors M WOODS’ minimal architecture and global mission. By prioritizing simplicity, speed, and seamless language switching, it became a true virtual extension of the museum, honoring its role in bridging contemporary art, historical legacy, and cross-cultural dialogue in China and beyond.
Design as quiet authority
Housed in a repurposed munitions factory in Beijing’s 798 art district, M WOODS uses raw space, white walls, and intentional silence to let the artworks command attention. We brought that same philosophy online. Our design strategy was rooted in giving content room to breathe.
We chose Century Gothic for its clean lines and open spacing, framing all content with generous negative space to minimize distraction. This ensures images have the visual weight they deserve, much like curated works on the museum’s stark white walls. Full-bleed visuals and restrained captions echo the gallery’s lighting and presentation, ensuring the art remains the focal point.
The interface itself is free of decorative elements, reflecting the raw industrial honesty of the physical space. Navigation is simple and subtle, never competing with the art. Every interaction, from browsing an exhibition archive to reading an artist’s statement, is designed to feel calm, focused, and gallery-like, translating the physical tranquility of the museum into a seamless online experience.
Global by design, rooted in Beijing
M WOODS doesn’t just operate in China; it connects China to the world. But building an online gallery that works well for both audiences is notoriously difficult. Servers inside mainland China often load slowly overseas, while international servers are often blocked or unreliable within China.
After close collaboration, we learned that M WOODS’ primary digital audience was international, with local engagement happening mainly through WeChat. That insight led us to a practical solution, to host the site in Singapore. This strategic choice gives visitors around the world fast, reliable access, while still loading quickly enough in Beijing. Critically, this also means M WOODS maintains just one website, not two, ensuring a consistent experience and simplifying content management for their team.
A living archive, in two languages
For an art museum that bridges historical and contemporary art, every exhibition is part of an ongoing story. We built a robust bilingual content management system that lets M WOODS’ team easily publish and manage content in both English and Chinese.
The language switcher is clean and always accessible, so visitors can move between languages without interruption or breaking the page flow. Past exhibitions live in a clean, scrollable archive, preserving M WOODS’ evolving narrative. Whether you’re exploring from Beijing or abroad, the experience remains clear, consistent, and centered on the art.
Building a platform for cultural impact
This project wasn’t just a design or development project, it was about helping M WOODS amplify its cultural voice. From choosing the right hosting strategy to refining typography that echoes the museum’s physical minimalism, every decision served to give an independent art museum in Beijing a digital presence as intentional as its spaces.
Now, whether you’re planning a visit to the 798 art district or exploring M WOODS’ archive from afar, the website stands as a true extension of its ethos, offering a presence that is quiet, precise, and deeply connected to place and purpose.
“Their team took the time not only to understand our ethos and priorities in full but also offer a range of creative solutions for the project which exceeded our expectations.”
