Context
The design and build approach prioritised reduction, clarity and structural consistency. Every interface decision was evaluated against the question of whether it supported the work or distracted from it. The resulting site uses a simple visual language, neutral typography and a limited colour palette, creating a quiet framework in which the artwork and accompanying texts are given space to breathe.
A key challenge was accommodating extensive bilingual contextual writing without resorting to overlays or pop-up interfaces, which the artist explicitly wished to avoid. This was resolved through a vertically scrolling page structure in which imagery sits on one side of the layout and text on the other. French and English translations are distinguished through subtle variations in dark grey tones, allowing both languages to coexist clearly without visual competition.
The site was built using a content management system to support a large and evolving catalogue of work. While the overall structure remains consistent, the system allows for significant variation in content types, including still images, video, text-heavy projects and projects with minimal contextual material.
Emil Friis is a minimalist modern classical composer with an extensive background in film scoring and soundtrack work, alongside his solo compositions. The website was designed to coincide with the release of his studio album Moving Images. The album extends beyond a conventional music release into a more conceptual space, blurring the boundaries between classical composition and cinematic storytelling. Filmmakers were invited to create short films in response to each composition, establishing a dialogue between sound and image. The project explores how music and film interact to shape internal narratives, prompting audiences to reflect on how their own imagery is formed through what they see and hear.
Design & Build Overview
The website for Emil Friis was designed as a focused platform for presenting both his solo work and his wider compositional output across film and television. The primary aim was to create a space that could support a concept-led album release while remaining flexible enough to accommodate an evolving body of work over time. Balancing clarity, narrative flow and long-term maintainability, the site was structured to foreground Moving Images as a central project, while providing clear routes into Friis’ broader catalogue. A client-accessible content management system underpins key sections of the site, allowing new work, media and supporting content to be added incrementally without disrupting the overall structure or visual coherence.
Emil Friis
Website Design & Development UX / UI
CMS (content management system) Development
Asset Creation.
Album cover photograph by Yusaku Aoki.
Campaign videography by Rinko Tsukamoto.
With Moving Images as the primary focus of the site, the home page was designed to immediately immerse visitors in the project. A full-screen background montage of the album’s video works sits beneath a concise project synopsis, with clear links through to the dedicated Moving Images album page.
This structure was designed to be repeatable, allowing future releases to be featured in the same way via a slider mechanism without requiring structural changes to the site.
Across all pages, a hidden scrolling reveal footer provides access to external links, including social media profiles and a newsletter subscription sign-up. This approach keeps the interface visually uncluttered while ensuring key information remains accessible.
The Moving Images album page was designed as a dedicated space for the video works to be presented in a clear and coherent narrative context. The page includes key project information such as a synopsis, artwork and streaming or purchase links, alongside a structured section for each individual release.
Each release brings together the film, artwork, credits and director quotes. To accommodate varying quote lengths without compromising layout consistency, a “read more” expansion was implemented, avoiding overly text-heavy pages while maintaining visual balance across different screen sizes.
As new video works were released both before and after the album launch, it was essential that the page could expand seamlessly over time. The section is powered by a content management system database that pulls in media and accompanying information in a structured format, allowing the site owner to add new releases in an ordered and self-maintainable way.
Friis’ broader catalogue is brought together within a single Artist Works page, grouping his output into solo recordings, collaborations, soundtracks and film scores. This structure allows audiences to quickly differentiate between the various strands of his practice and navigate the work without unnecessary page depth or excessive clicking.
Solo, collaborative and soundtrack releases link out to digital streaming platform multi-links, while film and television scores, which are not always released as standalone albums, include selected audio excerpts alongside links to their respective IMDb pages. This approach provides context and accessibility for each project while acknowledging the different formats in which the work exists.
Photography Page
About Page
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