Building a Website for the Next Chapter of The CELLFiE Project

A website can quietly become too small for the organization behind it.

That was the challenge facing The CELLFiE Project when Dr. David Conrad approached us. The project had grown considerably from its beginnings, but its website no longer reflected what CELLFiE had become—or where it was going next.

The existing website was built on a limited content management system that was difficult to update. As awareness grew, CELLFiE needed a modern place to explain its work, share news and media coverage, introduce its expanding team, and direct families, healthcare professionals, researchers and potential collaborators.

It also needed to be something Dr. Conrad’s team could manage themselves.

We knew immediately that this was a project we wanted to be part of.

Making the science behind a diagnosis easier to understand

The CELLFiE Project began with a simple question from a young patient: “Can I see my leukemia?”

That question led to a laboratory visit where the patient could view his own cells, meet the professionals involved in his diagnosis and better understand what was happening inside his body.

From that first experience, CELLFiE grew into a patient-centred pathology education initiative that helps children and families better understand disease. Through personalized laboratory experiences, children can see their own cells, learn how diagnostic testing works and connect the science of their diagnosis with the care they receive.

Originally developed for children with leukemia, the project has since expanded to support children with lymphoma, sickle cell disease, solid tumours and other diagnoses, as well as Youth in Care and children experiencing needle phobia. It now brings together patient education, laboratory medicine, research, advocacy and digital innovation.

CELLFiE had become much bigger than its original website suggested.

The marketing challenge

The challenge was not simply to make the website look better.

CELLFiE deals with complex medical subjects, but the website needed to communicate them in a way that felt clear, welcoming and understandable. It had to maintain the credibility expected of a healthcare and research initiative without feeling overly clinical or academic.

The site also needed to work for several different audiences. A family learning about CELLFiE has different questions than a researcher, healthcare professional, potential partner or journalist. The information had to be organized so that each visitor could quickly understand what the project is, why it matters and where to go next.

There was also a growing collection of media coverage and academic recognition that needed a permanent home. Without one central location, valuable stories about the project could easily become scattered or difficult to find.

Most importantly, the new website had to be useful after launch. Building an impressive but overly complicated website would only replace one problem with another.

Choosing a platform that fit the project

We moved CELLFiE from its existing content management system to Squarespace.

That choice was deliberate. The project did not need a heavily customized platform with unnecessary features and an ongoing dependence on a web developer. It needed a flexible, professional website that could grow while remaining easy for the CELLFiE team to manage.

Squarespace allowed us to create a modern website without overbuilding it. Once the site was complete, we could hand over the keys to Dr. Conrad and his team so they could update team profiles, add media coverage, revise program information and continue expanding the site at their own pace.

For a growing organization, that independence matters. A website should not become another administrative obstacle.

Creating a clearer home for CELLFiE

The new website gives CELLFiE a central online asset that reflects the project as it exists today.

Visitors can now learn how CELLFiE began, understand its mission and explore what children and families can expect from a laboratory visit. The site also introduces the people behind the project and explains how CELLFiE is expanding beyond its original focus on childhood leukemia.

A dedicated news section brings media coverage and academic articles together in one place. This helps demonstrate the project’s growing reach while making it easier for families, partners, researchers and members of the media to find credible information.

The website also creates room for what comes next. As CELLFiE continues to grow, we plan to build out a resource section that can make educational information more accessible to the people who need it.

The site was not designed as a finished monument. It was designed as a platform CELLFiE can continue building on.

The right website is one an organization can actually use

It is easy to assume that a growing organization needs a more complicated website. Often, it needs the opposite.

The best platform is not necessarily the one with the most features. It is the one that gives the organization enough flexibility to grow without making everyday updates difficult.

For CELLFiE, the goal was to create a website that clearly explains a remarkable idea, supports its growing profile and gives the team control over its own content. The result is a modern home for the project that can evolve alongside its research, educational programming and advocacy.

We are grateful Dr. Conrad trusted Charcoal Marketing with the opportunity. CELLFiE is helping children and families replace some of the fear and uncertainty surrounding disease with understanding and confidence.

That is a story worth helping more people find.