With Lokal Lab, we built a website to platform island knowledge, and connect the local community with global partnerships.
Lokal Lab is an NGO in Siargao, Philippines, envisioning a self-sustainable model island through a circular funding model that connects social enterprise and community-led projects.
With Studio Bisita, I led the web design, development, and visual design of their redesigned website, building a cohesive design system and content architecture around their growing programs.
With Studio Bisita, I led the web design, development, and visual design of their redesigned website, building a cohesive design system and content architecture around their growing programs.
PROBLEM
A website that couldn't keep up with their work
Lokal's previous website didn't reflect the full scope of their work and had no clear pathway for donations or partnerships, limiting their ability to attract the support they needed to grow.
Lokal's work happens on the ground, with farmers, artisans, local government, and community members. The website needed to be an extension of that, to bridge the local community and connects potential partners and donors to the work already happening on the island.
Lokal's work happens on the ground, with farmers, artisans, local government, and community members. The website needed to be an extension of that, to bridge the local community and connects potential partners and donors to the work already happening on the island.
after the 2021 Super Typhoon Odette that hit the Siargao island communities
Lokal Lab's goal has always been to create a self-sustainable island
for and through the local island community
lokal lab went through a program expansion and restructure
and the new website had to reflect their whole ecosystem and body of work
OUTCOME 01
Navigating the depth and breadth of Lokal's work
Lokal runs a range of interconnected programmes, from Tropical Knowledge, which creates learning pathways that exchange nature-based perspectives and teach skills rooted in local expertise, to Community Building, which co-creates solutions to pressing challenges inspired by local narratives and customs. The Hub brings it all into a physical space, incubating changemakers through Filipino food and culture.
The design needed to make all of this legible and navigable without overwhelming visitors.
The design needed to make all of this legible and navigable without overwhelming visitors.
Custom diagrams explain how Lokal operates and the relationships between their programmes. Sub-navigation within each page, large distinct section headings, footer CTAs, and page-to-page suggestions guide visitors from learning about Lokal to knowing exactly how to connect or collaborate.
exhibition that inspired me
exhibition that inspired me
exhibition that inspired me
exhibition that inspired me
exhibition that inspired me
visualizing lokal's vision within the about page
exhibition that inspired me
Sub-navigation within each page, large distinct section headings, footer CTAs, and page-to-page suggestions guide visitors from learning about Lokal to knowing exactly how to connect or collaborate.
OUTCOME 02
Giving potential donors and collaborators a clear way to get involved
We integrated a donation experience accessible through a side panel, the Get Involved page, and strategic CTAs throughout the site, making it easy for local and international supporters to contribute however felt right for them, whether donating, partnering, or volunteering.
OUTCOME 03
Centering a growing community, not just the organisation
Lokal works for and with the local Siargao community, and the website reflects that. Community photography, team quotes, and Common Diaries entries bring the human reality of their on-ground work into the site, making it feel like a space shaped by the people it serves.
Programme Updates pulled directly from Instagram keep the site alive as Lokal's work with farmers, artisans, and local partners continues to grow.
Programme Updates pulled directly from Instagram keep the site alive as Lokal's work with farmers, artisans, and local partners continues to grow.
REFLECTIONS
Bridging the digital with on ground
I first visited Siargao in 2018 and stumbled across one of Lokal's hubs without knowing what it was. I just remember thinking I wanted to work with whoever built this place, because something about it felt deeply intentional. Three years later, I came across the opportunity to volunteer with Lokal, and realised it was the market I visited in 2018. Getting to know their organisational structure, goals, and mission from the inside made the website project feel less like a brief and more like a translation.
The website has since become an ongoing source of partnerships and donations for the team. And the relationship continued: in 2025, Lokal and Studio Bisita collaborated again on Nature Kwentour, a British Council-funded programme connecting communities in Siargao and London through ecological storytelling. Lokal shared that the website truly translated their vision and identity. For me, it remains one of the projects I'm most proud of, not just for what it built, but for what it represents about the kind of work I want to keep doing.
The website has since become an ongoing source of partnerships and donations for the team. And the relationship continued: in 2025, Lokal and Studio Bisita collaborated again on Nature Kwentour, a British Council-funded programme connecting communities in Siargao and London through ecological storytelling. Lokal shared that the website truly translated their vision and identity. For me, it remains one of the projects I'm most proud of, not just for what it built, but for what it represents about the kind of work I want to keep doing.
IMPACT
my first visit to lokal tabo in 2018
visiting tropical academy in 2025
leading a workshop at lokal in 2026
