Website Awards

Website Awards: Four Websites, Blogs, and Apps of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Jan 03, 2013 @ 04:40 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to emerging technology including apps, best websites, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more interesting and productive.  Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

Stevie Awards RSS FeedFing                       
Fing is a Swiss army knife of networking utilities which can be used for troubleshooting and analyzing connection issues or to ferret out anything connected to your network that shouldn't be connected. Fling is available for free for Android, iPhone, iPad, and most platforms.

SeatGuru                            
For those who plan to travel in 2013, this app finds the best airline seats, in-flight amenities, and airline information.  You can download the app on your iPhone or Android for free.

WhatsUpGold                  
A business app that helps IT administrators identify the little problems before they become big ones by monitoring wired and wireless networks, systems, and applications. You can purchase the application starting from $2,195, but a free trial is also available.

Wunderlist                         
If you are using several different devices throughout the day,  Wunderlist 2 will sync your to-do lists and reminders no matter how many different devices you are using. Lists will automatically be synchronized via Wunderlist’s Cloud Sync system. You can download Wunderlist 2 is for your iPhone, Android, Windows & Mac, all for free.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. The entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs is March 27, request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

How Website Awards Winner's Redesign Received Worldwide Recognition

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Dec 26, 2012 @ 09:32 AM

FINE Design Group, of San Francisco, California, U.S.A., won a Gold Stevie® Award in the website awards categories for Best Business Services Web Site in The 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A.  (March 27 is the entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.) Their redesign of T.Y. Lin International Group’s website has gone on to receive worldwide recognition;  here’s how they did it.

Josh Kelly, FINE Design GroupT.Y. Lin International Group’s projects are big. Really big. Like bridges, airports, and highways big. And the size of these projects is measured not just by their scale, but also by their influence on the world’s infrastructure. Their new web presence reflects the impact that T.Y. Lin International Group has as one of the world’s pre-eminent engineering services firms.

FINE Design was asked to create a new website that would convey the depth and breadth of T.Y. Lin International Group’s services and the magnitude of their projects. The resulting website design highlights hundreds of projects, spanning seven market sectors and 53 offices, in a filterable portfolio. Like all T.Y. Lin International Group projects, a glamorous exterior is supported by a solid foundation: a content management system robust enough to keep the site fresh in multiple languages. 

Background
The firm’s founder, T.Y. Lin, pioneered concrete techniques that have enabled the construction of giant infrastructure projects around the globe. Started by him in the 50′s, T.Y. Lin International Group today continues this pioneering work. The company has expanded steadily over the years and is now a worldwide firm with a strong presence in both Asia and the United States. Its completed projects, such as the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, are used every day by tens of millions of people.

Objectives
The aim of the re-designed website was to demonstrates how T.Y. Lin International Group has been unified behind their one global vision. The role of FINE Design in accomplishing this was to encompass all aspects of strategy, design, and technology applied to a long list of site features and benefits.

Launched in September 2011, the primary goal of the new T.Y. Lin International Group website was to convey the firm’s ‘One Global Vision’ message, as well as the full depth and breadth of the firm’s service offerings and the magnitude of its projects, to audiences in the U.S., China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and around the world.

General Statistics 
The re-designed website features156 projects; seven market sectors (with 45 project types); 11 services; two regions; and 53 offices. The site is in both English and Chinese. 

Home Page
The home page provides a dynamic gallery of “featured” projects from diverse market sectors and regions. These projects change positions with every new visit or refresh of the site, so a visitor will never see the same pictures displayed in the same spot. When visitors move their cursor over an image, a “hover” state displays the project and location; they can then click to go to that project. The homepage is fully customizable to feature any project on the site.

Market Sectors & Services
The site provides an overview of T.Y. Lin International Group’s lines of business, including what they do, their expertise, and key clients. It also showcases featured projects in an image gallery at the top. Visitors can use the arrow button to scroll to the right to view more. To view projects specific to that market sector, click on any of the links to the right (view all or by project type). To the left, there are links to the latest news specific to that market.

Projects
This is the heart of the website. The projects area provides a flexible and comprehensive tour of the T.Y. Lin International Group portfolio, with robust filtering capabilities. All featured projects appear when you first land, and the user can select either “by Market Sector,” “by Service,” or “by Region” to search accordingly, depending on their interests and intent. 

Regions
This area provides a description of the region—Americas or Asia Pacific—and links to featured regional projects in a gallery which can be customized and changed, together with a list of all projects based in that region (with thumbnails). It also features an expandable drawer, listing all of the offices and contacts, should a visitor want to get in touch directly with a particular office.

About Us
This section includes the history, mission, leadership, and people of T.Y. Lin International Group. There is a Careers-specific page with employee spotlights and a link to current openings. This section also includes a news section featuring company news, press releases, social media links, RSS feed, and more.

Contact Us 
The Contact Us page provides a robust and user-friendly way to navigate and view offices by region. By clicking on “Contact this Office”, a modal window opens prompting a user to type in their message to send to that particular office. 

Project Tours:
Custom “tours” of the website can be set up by staff for prospective clients.  This is a password-protected feature, which is accessible at the upper right corner of the page. 

Content Management Systems (CMS)
The CMS is extremely robust and extensible and is the primary engine behind the website. Not only can administrators readily add as many projects and people as they’d like, but they can add additional services and market sectors as the focus of the company evolves. Layered on top of it is a TMS (Translation Management System) that facilitates easy entry/edit of both English and Chinese. 

Worldwide Recognition
This was a significant launch for a significant company. And just as T.Y. Lin International Group’s projects frequently garner awards, so has the website. Since its launch in September 2011, the T.Y. Lin International Group website has won the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) National Marketing Communications Award, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award, the Web Marketing Association WebAward, the Interactive Media Award (IMA), and the Zweig Marketing Excellence Award

The T.Y. Lin International Group website is a perfect example of how creating a company website is so often an act of defining the company itself in one all-encompassing space.

“Winning a Stevie Award means a lot to us, because it's an award judged by business professionals,” says Josh Kelly, managing partner at FINE.  “And the T.Y. Lin International Group website is a perfect example of how creating a company website is so often an act of defining not just a brand, but the company itself.”

About Josh Kelly:
Josh Kelly is managing partner of FINE Design Group, a digital branding agency with offices in California, Oregon, and Michigan. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in marketing on both the client and agency side, with a focus on new products and emerging technology. Kelly has worked with companies such as Visa, Symantec, Apple, CBS, T.Y. Lin International Group, Kimpton Hotels, and Anchor Brewing and is also an instructor of Integrated Marketing Communications for the University of California, Berkeley. 


About FINE Design:
FINE Design Group
is a digital branding agency with offices in San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and Traverse City, Michigan. FINE Design develops award-winning web, mobile, and social media destinations for world-class brands, with a focus on wine and spirits, architecture and engineering, hospitality, and consumer technology industries.

About T.Y. Lin International Group
T.Y. Lin International Group is a global, multi-disciplinary engineering services firm recognized for solving some of the most significant infrastructure challenges of our age.  For more information go to www.tylin.com.

Topics: business awards, website awards, American business awards, best website design, FINE Design Group, Josh Kelly, T.Y. Lin International Group, website of the year

3 Ways Website Awards Winner Increased Site Visits by 1 Million

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 @ 03:43 PM

Akavit, a full-service digital agency in Denver, Colorado, won the Gold Stevie® Award for Best Overall Web Design of a Specialty Web Site in The 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A.  (March 27 is the entry deadline for the 2013 ABAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit today.) Here we looked at how Akavit’s work for Tervis helped to increase sales for this North Venice, Florida, company.

Rob Davis, CEO and Founder, AkavitLet’s take a little trip back in time. It’s 1946. Detroit. Engineers Frank Cotter and G. Howlett Davis hit on something big: they harness the natural insulating powers of air to create a permanently sealed, double-walled tumbler. Finally a way to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. Not to mention, it is virtually indestructible. This outstanding innovation changed the drink-ware industry forever. Talk about a game changer.

Combining the last three letters of each of their last names, Cotter and Davis dubbed their new cup brand “Tervis”. In the years to follow, they worked hard to refine and improve their designs. The original tall, cylindrical tumbler evolved into additional sizes and products. Today, Tervis offers six tumbler sizes, plus hundreds of customizable designs, emblems, and accessory combinations.

The Donelly family purchased the Tervis product rights in the 1950s and incorporated the Tervis Tumbler Company in 1967. To this day, all Tervis products are proudly made in North Venice, Florida, where over 700 people are employed through this family-owned-and-operated business.

In 2011, Tervis celebrated 65 years of making quality made-to-order tumblers and embarked upon a complete rebranding effort. They called upon website awards winner, Akavit, to create a new web design and build an ecommerce site to support their national sales growth and increase online sales by 30%.

Akavit revived the Tervis website with three approaches:

  1. Optimization;
  2. Customization, and
  3. Community.

Based upon sales numbers since the new website’s launch in November 2011, Tervis more than exceeded the forecasted 30% online sales in the first year. In addition, site visits shot up by nearly 1 million more compared to the same date range the year before, and 62% of the site hits were new visitors.

Said Rob Davis, CEO and founder of Akavit: "Winning a Stevie means a lot to us, because this is a business award, judged by business professionals. It's recognition that a website design with a clear online strategy can translate to increased sales for our customers."

About Rob Davis:
Rob Davis, Akavit’s CEO and founder, oversees the business foundations of the company and mobilizes resources for client success. Akavit is a leading digital marketing agency in Denver, Colorado. Akavit client industries span from technology to consumer, with clients including Anheuser-Busch, Camp Bow Wow, Borax, Denver Broncos Football Club, Newmont Mining, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Tervis Tumbler Company, Rio Tinto, U.S. Bank, and many more. Rob’s past endeavors include as executive-founder-principal of several businesses including Xylem CCI, Creation Chamber, Neoforte Solutions, and Romac Custom Staffing Solutions. He brings years of trench-time in client services, sales, team building, and business management. His previous clients include FinishLine, Quiznos, Qwest, DirecTV, Homespace.com, and IMA. Rob attended the Universities of Florida and South Florida, earning business degrees in marketing and economics.

About Akavit:
Akavit is a digital and mobile marketing agency dedicated to designing and engineering innovative solutions that maximize the effectiveness of a company’s online presence and social marketing campaigns. With expertise spanning from interactive strategy to enterprise level integrations, Akavit has helped brands such as U.S. Bank and Denver Broncos achieve their online goals. For more information go to: www.akavitgroup.com.

Topics: Akavit, Tervis, Rob Davis, business awards, website awards, American business awards, best website design

Website Awards: Four Websites, Blogs, and Apps of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Nov 27, 2012 @ 12:27 PM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer app awards, blog awards, and website awards; we also like to highlight apps, blogs, and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Here are this month's "Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note:"

RSS FeedAsana                   
This free mobile app provides a place to plan, organize, stay in sync, and share task lists with a team. You can download the free app on the iPhone and Android.

Enterasys Isaac
A Gold Stevie® Award-winning application in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, Isaac is a social media interface that connects IT networks with social networks.

Expensify                           
Expensify is a free app that helps you keep track of expenses by scanning your receipts from anywhere. The app also features tools to help you integrate Quickbooks and automatically track auto expense and GPS mileage.

KoolSpan TrustCall          
Easy to deploy and use, TrustCall transforms regular smartphones to "secure phones" within any organization. Thanks to the chip inside the smartphone, malicious third-party adversaries can't intercept or eavesdrop on voice calls and SMS messages. Available for the Android and Blackberry (iOS coming soon), you can download the app for $119.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A.  Request your entry kit here and submit by the December 12 second early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Websites, Apps, and Blogs of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Oct 30, 2012 @ 04:14 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to emerging technology including apps, best websites, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more interesting and productive.  Here are this month's recommendations:

  1. RSS FeedCareer Woman, Inc., Blog                            
    A Finalist in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, this blog offers timely insight on topics and problems that are relevant to everyday businesswomen.
  2. FiveThirtyEight                 
    FiveThirtyEight is a NY Times blog by Nate Silver, author of The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail but Some Don't. The blog provides an array of political insights for readers.
  3. MyCityWay                        
    Another 2012 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Finalist, MyCityWay is a personalized search engine providing instant access to everything that’s happening around you, in real-time. MyCityWay serves 70 global markets and connects both travelers and residents alike with their city. The search engine is free for all users on all platforms.
  4. Vemma Bod•e App                       
    This 2012 American Business Awards Gold Stevie Award-winning app makes it convenient and easy to track and mange the Vemma Bod•e plan on-the-go. The app incorporates features such as daily, weekly, and monthly program schedules, daily video tips, and weekly recipes and grocery lists.  The app also sends reminders throughout each day to keep participants motivated, engaged, and on track. Users can download the app for free on the iPhone and Android.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A.  Request your entry kit here and submit by the November 16 early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees.

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, blog awards, stevie awards, emerging technology

Website Awards: Four Websites, Apps, and Blogs of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Oct 03, 2012 @ 03:01 PM

Once a month in our Stevie® Awards Update email newsletter we like bring your attention to several best websites, apps, and blogs that we think will help to make your work day a bit more productive and enjoyable.  Here are this month's recommendations:Stevie Awards RSS Feed

  1. Bento                   
    A flexible organizational app that can get your business or your everyday life in order courtesy of 25 ready-to-use database templates. Bento is available for $4.99 on the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad.
  2. Turtle or Soup                  
    An International Business Awards Gold Stevie Award-winning mobile video game app for marketing pros, created by The Borenstein Group. Turtle or Soup is available on the iPhone, the iPad, and the Android. You can also find it Online.
  3. Voices.com                        
    An IBA Gold Stevie Award-winning online marketplace for voice-over talent and voice-over jobs.
  4. Wajam               
    Another IBA Gold Stevie Award winner, Wajam gives you search results based on what your friends share, on top of your normal search results, all for free. Wajam is TRUSTe and VeriSign certified.

Know of other great apps, blogs, or websites? Nominate them for one of our blog awards, website awards, or app awards. The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., will begin accepting entries later this month. (Join the mailing list for the 2013 ABAs - you'll receive the entry kit when entries open.)

Topics: business awards, corporate awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, blog awards, stevie awards

Website Awards: Four Websites, Blogs, and Apps of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Jun 28, 2012 @ 11:18 AM

Once a month we like to highlight websites, apps, and blogs in our Stevie® Awards Update Email Newsletter to help make your day a bit more enjoyable. Here are this month's "Apps, Websites and Blogs of Note:"                         

  1. GateGuru                           
    RSS FeedGateGuru is an app that transforms any airport environment into a more satisfying experience before and after flights, or during layovers, by locating the best food, shopping, and service options. The app is available for the iPhone and Android for free.
  2. Todo
    Todo® Task Manager is a powerful set of tools that makes task management simple and fun. Use Todoon your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to keep tasks synchronized using Todo Online, a cloud sync service for tasks, or access tasks on your desktop in iCal or Outlook. The app is available for $2.99.
  3. Urbanspoon                      
    All The News That's Fit to Eat, blog and website Urbanspoon describes itself as the world's leading provider of time-critical dining data, and a player in the multi-billion dollar restaurant information industry.
  4. OmniGraffle
    With OmniGraffle, an iPad touch screen becomes a canvas, graph paper, whiteboard, or beer mat, allowing users to draw shapes, drag in objects, and style using simple multi-touch gestures. The finished creations can be shared via PDF export, or opened in OmniGraffle for Mac. The app is available for $34.99.

Have a favorite app, blog or website? Nominate it in The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (The extended final entry deadline is 18 July, request your entry kit here.)

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, International business awards, blog awards

Website Awards: Four Apps, Blogs, and Websites of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, May 31, 2012 @ 01:34 PM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer blog awards, website awards, and app awards; we also like to highlight apps, blogs, and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Our latest "Blogs & Web Sites of Note" include:

  • The Audacity of Despair        RSS Feed                       
    The blog of David Simon, creator of TV series "The Wire."
  • ScoutMob          
    ScoutMob puts the power of local discovery in the palm of your hand.  A free app available for iPhone, Android & Blackberry.
  • Smashing Magazine                       
    An online magazine for professional Web designers and developers, with a focus on useful techniques, best practices, and more.
  • Word Lens                         
    Translate foreign signs from your iPhone.  Coming soon to other platforms.

Have a favorite app, blog or website? Nominate it for a Stevie!  The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, are now accepting entries. (The final entry deadline is 27 June, request your entry kit here.)

Topics: business awards, app awards, website awards, International business awards, blog awards

Website Awards: Best Websites, Apps & Blogs of Note

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Apr 24, 2012 @ 01:08 PM

The Stevie® Awards don't just confer blog awards, website awards, and app awards; we also like to highlight blogs and websites once a month in our Stevie Awards Update email newsletter that we think will help make your work day more interesting and enjoyable. Here are this month's "Apps, Websites, and Blogs of Note:"

  • Buzzword Bingo   Stevie Awards Blog         
    Take one of this site's bingo cards with you to your next meeting.  Five in a row wins!
  • Grumpy Old Accountants                            
    Blog on corporate finance from two college professors.
  • GlobalPost                         
    This Boston-based international news website recently won a Peabody Award for its "On Location " videos.
  • The Cool Hunter                              
    A global hub for culture and design since 2004.

Have a favorite blog or website? Nominate it for a web site award. Wednesday, April 25, is the final entry deadline for The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the top business awards competition in the U.S.A. If you haven't yet received your 2012 entry kit, you can download it online here and you will receive it right away. 

Topics: business awards, corporate awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards, blog awards, stevie awards

48 Website Award Categories in The 2012 International Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Apr 12, 2012 @ 12:53 PM

There are 48 website awards categories in The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, to highlight your organization's best websites. (We invite all individuals and organizations worldwide to submit entries to the 2012 IBAs. The entry deadline is 16 May; request your entry kit here.)

Categories for industries that want to highlight best website design include:

  • Accounting
  • Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Automotive & Transport Equipment
  • Banking
  • Business Services
  • Chemicals
  • Computer HardwareInternational Business Awards
  • Computer Software
  • Computer Services
  • Conglomerates
  • Consumer Products - Durables
  • Consumer Products - Non-Durables
  • Diversified Services
  • Electronics
  • Energy
  • Financial Services
  • Food & Beverage
  • Health Products & Services
  • Hospitality & Leisure
  • Insurance
  • Legal
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials & Construction
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Metals & Mining
  • Non-Profit Organizations
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation
  • Utilities

Our best website specialty categories include:

  • Best Interface Design
  • Best Software Programming/Design
  • Best Writing/Content
  • Best E-commerce Site
  • Best Home Page
  • Best Investor Relations Site
  • Best Overall Web Design
  • Best Online Press Room
  • Best Training Site
  • Best Video Site
  • Best Mobile Site
  • Best Facebook Fanpage or Group
  • Best LinkedIn Group
  • Best Google +1 Group (new category for 2012)
  • Best Twitter Feed (new category for 2012)

Award winning websites honored at The 8th Annual International Business Awards presented in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates include Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Garanti Mortgage, GuestCentric Systems, Investis Ltd, PT Comunicações, TelecityGroup, and YOOX Spa among others.

Which websites will your organization showcase in the 2012 IBAs?

Topics: best website, business awards, website awards, International business awards, best websites, award winning website, best website design