TheWebbyAwardsandBASIC®BuildaDigitalDestinationforInspirationandResearch●
Our six-month collaboration culminated in the launch of a brand new digital platform for the international icon.
Throughout the years, the Internet has grown. So has the number of entrants, winners, and visitors to WebbyAwards.com. These users need help discovering trends, talent, and inspiration to benchmark and elevate their work. So, we partnered closely with their leadership team to establish a product strategy, introduce a new visual language and design system, and rebuild the website from the ground up.
As the “Internet’s highest honor” and the so-called Oscars of the Internet, the Webbys’ team came to us with an incredible opportunity: help transform their business through an evolved digital experience and strategy. With the launch of this new platform, the brand has given its community access to every piece of recognized work since 1997 and organized it in a way that helps inspire the best work in the world.
“We are excited and humbled to have the opportunity to work with a company that we feel represents the best combination of aesthetic and functional design on the Internet,” said The Webby Awards’ Executive Producer Steve Marchese. “As the most prestigious award for digital in the world, the expectation is often that we should meet and exceed best practices. We feel that, by working with BASIC®, not only is this a foregone conclusion but the process itself will be as gratifying as the final product.”
“People look to The Webby Awards—and WebbyAwards.com—as a representation of the finest the online space has to offer,” said BASIC® Creative Director Erwin Hines. “Throughout the entire process from conceptualization to launch, we wanted to make sure we did it justice. Our goal was to be intentional about each module, component, and utility we put on the page to capture the painstaking detail and craft put into Webby-winning work and truly reflect the best of the Internet.”
Based on conversations with the community and traffic patterns to the Webby gallery, our team learned that users needed simpler ways to navigate the site, engage with content, and more thoroughly explore past award recipients.
To resolve these experiential pain points, we brought the site to life in the following ways:
- Service Strategy: The site is foremost a comprehensive solution for online discovery and research, so we needed to develop features and utilities that would enable different audience segments to source data, pull ideas for reference, and recruit creative and technology partners.
- Account Creation: For deeper filtration and a new way to curate inspiration, we overhauled the account experience and helped establish the premium Webby Awards membership. This improved flow allows users to unlock exclusive benefits and features with a few simple steps.
- Search: With almost two decades of content on the platform, there was a need for a more robust search tool that improved not only navigability but also discoverability. Now, users can build out customized cross-sections of content by using our powerful in-search tagging and filtering system.
- Scannability: In order to bring clarity to the platform, we introduced color badging to each category—making 17 years of Internet trends more scannable. In addition, we accommodated a deep archive of imagery at a single aspect ratio and made the experience more digestible by creating a flexible tile system, allowing the Webbys’ team to create a variety of tile sizes without compromising design integrity.
- Gallery Landing Experience: Users look to The Webby Awards for curated perspectives, and our updated gallery landing page gives the team a navigation paradigm for surfacing media types and categories while also showcasing winners across multiple categories and years.
- Category Pages: To provide more insight and historical context into each category, we created isolated pages and introduced a deeper filtration set, allowing end-users to personalize their experiences.
From the very beginning, our collaboration with the Webbys was rapid and iterative, adhering to a strict six-month timeline. We’re proud of our efforts and are excited to have worked with an incredible team to help them usher in their mission for the future of the Internet.
(The Webby Awards)
Deemed the “Internet’s highest honor," The Webby Awards promote the world’s most illustrious and innovative digital experiences. They receive over 13,000 entries per year from the U.S. and 70 other countries. They are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and partners of The Webby Awards include Grey Goose, Vitamin T, Shocase, Engine Yard, Funny or Die, Advertising Age, Percolate, Mashable, Business Insider, Internet Week New York, and Guardian News and Media.
(BASIC®)
BASIC® is an experience design company that thrives at the crossroads of culture and technology. Combining human intuition with systematic thinking, its work in strategy, design, and digital transformation is recognized for challenging business convention alongside the world’s most forward-thinking brands.
