Under the Tree
Under the Tree’s opening page
Under the Tree is a web documentary miniseries highlighting the work of three community led organizations in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. From building an all girls school to providing healthcare in a rural village, it’s an intimate portrait of the people behind these efforts. The project was completed in partnership with the global nonprofit, Mama Hope.
Under the Tree was created by the designer/filmmaker Ryan LeCluyse. He and designer/developer David Gouch also created the primary platform for the series: underthetree.mamahope.org
The design of the website is just as important to telling the stories as the films themselves. Text interludes are interspersed between films to provide further context and a narrative bridge. Farnham (Display Light, in particular) is a typeface that reveals its beauty at a large scale. It is vital in creating arresting section titles. Open Sans, on the other hand, is versatile and simple, yet also has a flavor of its own. It is used to handle all of the other type styles on the site, from dense copy to all-cap subtitles. These two typefaces and LeCluyse’s photography provide the foundation for the series’ unique visual style.
The title card from Episode 2, The Holy Lie
Film stills from Episode 2, The Holy Lie
Credits section and preview of Episode 3
