Website and Microsites
A bold, visually striking corporate site for Canada's pioneering LGBTQ+ television network
the challenge
OUTtv is a trailblazer. Launched in 2001, it was Canada's first television channel dedicated to LGBTQ+ audiences and only the second in the world. Today, OutTV reaches over 1.2 million subscribers across Canada and has expanded globally through streaming platforms in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond. A network this bold needed a website that could match its energy.
The design for the new site, created by Jessica Luch, was truly out there: bold halftone graphics, beautiful colour gradients, and a visual language that felt unlike anything else in the broadcast space. Our challenge was to bring that ambitious vision to life while delivering a functional, high performance platform that could handle traffic surges during new show and season launches.
the approach
The gradient colorways weren't just decorative; they were functional. Different color schemes were coded to different sections of the site, creating subtle visual navigation cues that helped users orient themselves as they moved through the experience. We committed to achieving these gradients entirely through CSS with no pixel or vector graphics, keeping the site lightweight and performant while maintaining visual richness.
We built the site on WordPress using a custom Bedrock structure and Sage theme framework, giving us the architecture we needed to optimize frontend performance and scalability. This foundation would prove essential for handling the traffic spikes that come with major programming announcements and season premieres.
the solution
The finished site is a showcase for what's possible when design ambition meets technical execution. The halftone background graphics provide texture and character, while the CSS gradients shift and flow across sections, guiding users through the content with colour coded visual cues.
The programming schedule allows viewers to browse content by day or week, with timezone switching between EST and PST. A detailed programming catalog lets audiences explore the full breadth of OutTV's content library, sorted by genre and filterable to help viewers find exactly what they're looking for. The Cloudflare CDN integration ensures the site loads quickly regardless of traffic volume, keeping lighthouse performance and SEO scores high for such a visually rich experience.
The design was truly out there: bold halftone graphics, beautiful gradients, and a visual language unlike anything else in broadcast. We brought it to life entirely in CSS, proving that ambitious design and high performance aren't mutually exclusive.
the results
The new OutTV site delivered a digital presence worthy of Canada's pioneering LGBTQ+ network. The CSS gradient system proved that ambitious visual design doesn't have to come at the cost of performance, and the modular WordPress architecture has made ongoing content updates straightforward for the OutTV team.
The site successfully handles traffic surges during major programming moments, from Canada's Drag Race premieres to the launch of original series like Call Me Mother and For the Love of DILFs. Most importantly, it gives OutTV a digital home that feels as bold and unapologetic as the network itself.
technologies
Gradients Without Graphics
Every colour gradient on the site is pure CSS. No images, no vectors, no shortcuts. The result is a visually rich experience that loads fast and scales beautifully, with colour coded sections that guide users through the content intuitively.
