WESTBOROUGH, MA – Today Wakefly, a full-service marketing agency, announced that its design for the Perseus Development Corporation website (www.perseus.com) won a 2004 WebAward for “Outstanding Website” in the industry category of “Computer: Software”.
The annual WebAward competition is produced by the Web Marketing Association (WMA), founded in 1997 to promote high standards for internet marketing and site development. Entries are judged in 85 industry categories by an international panel of independent web design and development professionals. Sites are ranked based on seven criteria: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting, and ease of use. Based on this ranking a site may win one of the following awards: Best of Show, Best of Industry, Outstanding Website or Standard of Excellence.
According to William Rice, President of the WMA, “This is a competition started by marketers for marketers, and it’s probably considered the most prestigious for web development out there. We’ve been around longer than anyone else, and what separates us is that we really try to take it from the user’s perspective.”
Lee Roberts of Rose Rock Design Inc., a 2004 WebAward judge and former host of the Web Doctor radio program, lauded Wakefly’s efforts. “The Perseus site is very clean, very clever—I get a very good feel from this site,” said Roberts. “It has a simple navigational structure that makes it easy to traverse, and its content is easy to understand and well focused towards the product.”
Roberts emphasized the importance of a site’s organization to promote usability, noting that Wakefly succeeded where many companies fail. “With a site this large it’s difficult to put the pieces in the right place, and if you don’t put stuff in the right place people get confused. The segmentation of this site is appropriate, as it the language.”
Other industry professionals support Roberts’s opinion. According to George Allendorf, a graphic designer and President of Dega Solutions, “This simple design hits the target—it’s what my clients are asking for. Companies want a clean and professional look and feel while giving visitors a way to find whatever they need within seconds.”
For Perseus, a web-based survey company, the need to communicate efficiently with clients via the web is a critical concern. “Here at Perseus we’re thrilled about the WebAward,” said Dwight Galler, V.P. of Marketing at Perseus.” It’s proof that Wakefly’s well-ordered design helped us to achieve our goal effectively: to reach and educate our target audience about the benefits of Perseus’s Enterprise Feedback Management solution.”
The Wakefly team credits their project’s success to a client-centered approach. According to Tim Hawkins, Art Director for Wakefly and lead designer on the project, “The Perseus site demonstrates our general approach to web design, where our clients goals are key. Though we are well versed in the latest tools, we don’t let the technology get in the way of our client’s message. All of our efforts aim to make a site easy to use, enjoyable to browse, and very informative for the end-user.”
According to Jonathan Baer, Director of Marketing for Wakefly, it’s all about setting clear project goals and meeting them successfully. “We created the Perseus website, along with a trade show booth, brochure and other marketing collateral, with the goal of positioning Perseus and their product as an enterprise-wide solution and a leading global player: we believe we’ve achieved that goal with style, and we are pleased that the WMA has chosen to honor this accomplishment.”
About Wakefly
Wakefly delivers innovative marketing solutions through design and technology, providing successful web sites, collateral, branding and integrated campaigns for a client base that crosses numerous industries and market segments. Based in Westborough, Massachusetts, Wakefly combines senior design, copy and marketing services with in-house technical specialists to help clients leverage technology and the Internet to create integrated campaigns that work. For more information, please visit www.wakefly.com/.