Introduction
Sunny Bonnell, Co-founder & CEO of Motto®, has become one of the most influential voices on visionary leadership, brand innovation, and culture. Named to the prestigious Thinkers50 list of the world’s top management thinkers, she is a serial entrepreneur who co-leads one of the world’s most innovative branding agencies. With more than 20 years of experience guiding leaders and companies to think bigger, Sunny has earned recognition as an authority who shapes how organizations connect vision, culture, and brand.
As Motto’s global influence expands, Sunny is increasingly sought after by international conferences, Fortune 500 companies, and top media outlets including Fast Company, Forbes, and Bloomberg. To capture this momentum, her team launched sunnybonnell.com — an immersive platform designed to showcase her keynotes, press, and media in one place. The goal was to create a digital stage that amplifies her distinct point of view and positions her as the go-to voice for organizations and media seeking high-impact speaking engagements.
Vision and Approach
The new website was conceived as more than a professional website. It needed to feel like a digital stage, a place where her big ideas come alive through storytelling, animation, and seamless navigation.
The site features:
- A keynote hub highlighting Sunny’s signature talks on visionary leadership, culture, and innovation.
- A press library with interviews and articles in Bloomberg, Cheddar, and Fast Company.
- Integrated booking functionality for event organizers.
The design emphasizes clarity, movement, and confidence. Every animation and transition was built to mirror the energy of Sunny’s live keynotes, creating a visceral sense of presence online.
Sunny Bonnell is a firestarter brand in her own right. Known for igniting bold ideas and reshaping how leaders think about vision, culture, and brand, she brings both authority and electricity to every stage she steps onto.
Her keynotes have lit up rooms for organizations like Mastercard, Dale Carnegie, Fast Company Innovation Festival, and the NFL, where she challenges audiences to question conventions and embrace visionary leadership as a competitive advantage. Event organizers consistently turn to Sunny not only for her expertise but for her ability to move people — sparking conversations that ripple through entire organizations long after the keynote ends.
The new website platform captures this spirit, giving decision-makers a way to experience that same energy online. It showcases her proven track record, her distinct voice, and her role as the catalyst leaders look for when they need to inspire transformation at scale.
“Visionary leadership is the most competitive driver of culture and brand. The site was built to communicate that belief.”
Features and Design Highlights
What made this project unique wasn't the complexity of our animations; it was the purpose. Using GSAP, we developed what we call ‘breathing animations’ or micro-interactions that feel natural.
Every animation serves the user journey:
- Staggered text reveals that create reading rhythm without overwhelming
- Scroll-triggered elements that appear precisely when users need them
- Hover states that provide instant, satisfying feedback
- Video integration that feels seamless, never intrusive
The secret was in the timing. Most of our animations run between 0.8-1.2 seconds with easing curves that mirror natural movement. Users don't consciously notice them, but they feel the quality.
Smooth Scrolling as Storytelling
Lenis smooth-scrolling transformed the entire browsing experience. Instead of mechanical page jumping, users glide through content like turning pages in a beautifully designed book. Combined with GSAP's ScrollTrigger, every scroll becomes intentional, a guided journey rather than random browsing.
Page Transitions That Preserve Context
Using Taxi.js, we created transitions that maintain narrative flow. The black and white color palette was crucial here; no jarring color shifts between pages. Each transition feels like a natural progression in an ongoing conversation, not an abrupt scene change.
Technologies
We believe people fell in love with this site because it does something rare in our industry. It creates space for thinking. In a world of notification-driven interfaces, we built something that feels calm, focused, and respectful of user attention.
Our biggest innovation wasn't using cutting-edge technology. It was proving that thoughtful design and development can create award-winning experiences regardless of the underlying platform. WordPress became our canvas, not our limitation.
Frontend Frameworks and Libraries:
- GSAP for animations
- Lenis for smooth-scrolling
- Tailwind/SCSS for styling
- Taxi.js for page-transitions
Backend Technologies:
- WordPress (custom theme)
- PHP
- MySQL database
Tools:
- Webpack
- Git
- Advanced Custom Fields for content management
Company Info
Sunny Bonnell is the Co-founder and CEO of Motto®, a global strategy and design firm for positioning, scaling, and reinventing companies in the tech and innovation space. Sunny and her Co-founder and COO are recognized globally as thought leaders on visionary leadership and brand culture and how bold ideas shape innovation, influence culture, and drive business growth.