CASE STUDY: Turning a Psychiatrist's Website into a Full-Scale Info Engine
CASE STUDY — WEB DESIGN & DIGITAL STRATEGY
Dr. David Pickar, MD came to us needing a website that could carry two things at once: a 40-year career in psychiatric research, and the launch of his first book. Here's how we rebuilt davidpickar.com to do both.
The client
Dr. David Pickar is a Yale-trained psychiatrist, former NIMH research leader, Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins, and author of 400+ scientific publications. This fall, he's publishing Edges of the Mind: Treating Schizophrenia as Psychiatry Evolves — a memoir chronicling his four decades treating serious mental illness. Idea Lab was brought on through Suburban Media Press, led by Natasha Tynes, to lead digital marketing ahead of the launch.
The challenge
Dr. Pickar's existing site was built around his clinical practice — it had no real home for the book, no clear career narrative, and no way to route two very different kinds of visitors to what they actually needed. We needed a single site that could serve as an info engine for three things at once: his clinical work, his research legacy, and the book launch.
Starting with the audience, not the sitemap
Before touching layout, we mapped who actually lands on davidpickar.com and why. Two audiences emerged, and the whole architecture was built around getting each of them where they needed to go in one or two clicks.
The reader
Arrives through press, social, or word of mouth about the book. Wants the story behind Edges of the Mind, Dr. Pickar's credibility as a narrator, and a way to follow along before it publishes.
HOME → EDGES OF THE MIND → FOLLOW / SUBSTACKThe clinician, patient, or colleague
Already knows Dr. Pickar's name from research or referral. Wants his full professional history, his current patient management practice, and Gabriel Sciences, LLC.
HOME → ABOUT → PATIENT MANAGEMENT / GABRIEL SCIENCESWhat we built
A full site rebuild, page by page, so every part of Dr. Pickar's career and the book had a proper home.
- Book-first homepage Redesigned hero built around the book cover, title, and a "Coming Fall 2026" callout, with an early endorsement from Tim Shriver front and center.
- Edges of the Mind page A dedicated landing page for the book — the first stop for readers, press, and prospective buyers.
- Career timeline A decade-by-decade visual timeline — Yale training through NIMH leadership to the book's publication — turning a dense CV into a scannable story.
- Rebuilt About page Full biography and credentials, written for both a general reader and a clinical peer.
- Patient Management & Gabriel Sciences, LLC Standalone pages so his active clinical and business work isn't buried under the book launch.
- Media & Blog integration A media hub for press and appearances, plus a connected blog for ongoing commentary as the launch approaches.
- Follow & subscribe banner A consistent footer module linking Substack and LinkedIn now, with placements reserved for Instagram and Facebook as those channels come online.
- Media kit A companion press-ready PDF media kit in a navy, gold, and cream palette, for outlets and interviewers covering the launch.
A homepage built around the book
The new homepage leads with the book cover and title treatment, then unfolds into the career timeline — giving both audiences a reason to keep scrolling.
What's next
With the site live, we're now building out Dr. Pickar's Instagram and Facebook presence — currently in development — to extend the same book-and-career narrative onto social, and to give both audiences a reason to follow along before launch day.
"This book is a powerhouse of drama and science and compassion told through the eyes of a doctor on the frontlines of our nation's struggle with serious mental illness."— Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics and Founder of UNITE