After nearly three decades without any substantial changes, the Vatican’s official website has undergone its first redesign since its launch in 1995. This feat is historic not only for the portal’s magnitude and importance to millions of faithful around the world, but also for the person who led this process: Juan Carlos Yto, a young Peruvian designer with a track record in branding and digital communications.

The full story was told on the “Birras y Branding” podcast, where Juan Carlos shared the details of this unprecedented challenge: how he came to the Vatican, what the creative process was like, and how he faced the technical and human challenges of the project.

During the pandemic, Juan Carlos was selected from among hundreds of applicants to participate in a program run by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. His talent for graphic design, combined with his commitment to the Church, positioned him as the ideal person when it came to revamping the digital face of one of the world’s oldest institutions.

“The challenge was enormous,” Ito says in the podcast. “It wasn’t just about a website, but about representing the identity of the Holy See in a digital, accessible, and universal environment.” The Vatican website is much more than an informational site: it houses all the papal teachings, documents, encyclicals, homilies, the Bible, the Catechism, and an agenda that is updated several times a day.

With an aesthetic inspired by Roman travertine and the blue sky of Rome, the redesign seeks to convey hospitality, solemnity, and clarity. Furthermore, it was designed for all audiences: from academics to worshippers with limited connectivity, including support for multiple languages ​​and mobile devices.

The process was swift and demanding. Just days after Pope Francis’s death, the Dicastery contacted Ito to commission the redesign. He submitted the first drafts in record time, which were quickly approved. The goal was to launch the new website alongside the announcement of the new pontiff, Pope Leo, a Peruvian Augustinian bishop, for whom Ito also designed the official profile.

The redesign not only involved visual changes, but also a new organization of content and a digital identity consistent with the Church’s message and mission. “It was a deeply human, intimate, and even informal experience at times. I learned that big dreams can come true, but you have to be prepared for them when they arrive,” reflects the designer.

Although the new website is already online, work continues. Internal and satellite pages are being developed, with a unified brand vision for the entire Vatican digital ecosystem.

This project marks a turning point in the Holy See’s online presence, but it’s also an example of how Latin American talent can impact the very heart of the universal Catholic Church. A historic redesign, born from faith, creativity, and commitment.

Source: Episode of the podcast “Beers and Branding” with Juan Carlos Yto.