The GPO Story – Crafting a Digital Destination
From invisible to unmissable
How storytelling turned a hard-to-find museum sub-page into an award-winning destination. The GPO Museum tells the story of 1916 and modern Ireland from inside the building where it happened. Online, that story lived on a sub-page of An Post’s website. Open gave it a home, a brand and a narrator of its own, so visitors meet the story long before they reach O’Connell Street.
The Challenge
A national story, told from a corner of someone else’s website.
The General Post Office is one of Ireland’s most important historic buildings and the headquarters of the 1916 Rising. Its museum’s web presence was a subsection of An Post’s corporate site, with no identity of its own and little room to tell the story.
The brief: build a dedicated site from scratch that respects the gravitas of the subject, opens it up to new and younger audiences, and works as both a tourist destination and an education hub. And move visitors to book online, for general admission and for the museum’s experiences.
0%
Growth in traffic
Across organic search, direct and social.
0%
Rise in conversion rate
With clearer content and layout throughout.
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National Awards
Best New Website, and runner-up. National Website of the Year, Digital Business Ireland, National Digital Awards.
EN/GA
Irish on every page.
A full Irish-language version, one click from anywhere on the site.
The Approach
Five ways we turned a museum into a destination.
- A front door of its own
A new brand identity and a site built from scratch. The palette draws on the fabric of the building and the uniforms inside it: stone greys, rich greens, subtle blues.How It Converts
Gives search, social and direct visitors one clear place to land, and to book. - The clock timeline
The GPO’s own clock carries visitors from the 1800s through the turning points of Irish history to today, in short visual snapshots. Deep history, easy to follow.How It Converts
Turns curiosity into intent, encouraging digital visitors to become actual visitors. - A welcome for the next generation
Young people appear on the site as engaged visitors, with a dedicated section for families and young audiences. Irish sits one click away on every page.How It Converts
Speaks directly to families, schools and Irish speakers, widening who plans a visit. - Booking up front
New booking areas for general admission and experiences such as the Rebel Rising Tour and Turas Gaeilge, an Irish-language tour.How It Converts
Puts booking where interest peaks, with a clear reason to book ahead: online tickets save €2 to €5. - A place in the city
A Discover Dublin section links the GPO to the city’s other cultural and historic sites, and an events area staff can update themselves.How It Converts
Adds the GPO to visitors’ Dublin itineraries, and gives locals a reason to come back for events.
THE STORY
Let the building be the narrator.
We built the site around one idea: the GPO as a witness to the history of a nation. The homepage film starts above the building and moves inside, into the museum. From there, the story is told through people, as witnesses to events and as the ones who shaped them.
That framing set the tone. It references flag and country without a militaristic feel, and keeps the civilians of Dublin at the centre: a museum about the people who shaped events, and one that welcomes everyone.
- 1818 The GPO opens on Sackville Street.
- 1916 Headquarters of the Easter Rising.
- 1929 Rebuilt and reopened after the Rising.
- 2016 The museum opens for the centenary.
- Today The story starts online, in English and Irish.
Through the Fáilte Ireland Digital that Delivers programme, GPO Museum partnered with Open Design & Digital to create a bespoke website which truly reflects the essence of what the museum has to offer. We are very happy with the outcome - the branding, design and content will help us to effectively promote the GPO Museum in the years to come.
John Horgan - Sales & Marketing Manager at GPO Museum
About OPEN Design and Digital
We’re a Dublin design studio, experts in web design, online marketing and branding. Our mission: boost your business with captivating websites, meaningful content, and innovative design. Need a fresh website or a brand makeover? Let’s talk!
You can also email us at info@weareopen.ie or call on 01 685 3550.
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