"Their team made it a point to understand the 'product' they were designing for, and ensured that it was consistent with the fundamental aspects of our system. They listened to our comments - and made sure that each design worked on and off line. It was a pleasure dealing with Dragonfly. "

Dr. Eric Glover,
NEC, Inc.

 

NEC Labs America- Corporate Website

Overview

NEC Labs America came to Dragonfly Interactive after a major change in focus from life sciences research to computer science technology. This meant their corporate website needed to keep pace with NEC's restructuring. It was outdated, covered only their location in Princeton while leaving out their Cupertino, California office, and was very casual in design. A perfect opportunity for Dragonfly to apply its multidisciplinary approach to finding solutions.

Challenge

To create a compelling website for NEC, Dragonfly had to confront several challenges. There was a one month deadline to complete the project, from concepts, to design, photography, and launch. No professional models could be used, only NEC employees. The rooms to be photographed were filled with computer equipment, making for a messy shot. Dragonfly had to bring out the excitement from these computer labs. They also had to bring structure to the site. Most of the old site was a collection of research papers, without highlighting the lab.

Objective

NEC corporate website was going to be a tool for a major recruiting effort. So the look and feel must be positive and inspiring, while reflecting the brand image of NEC. To tie in the two offices, the site had to capture the essence of both Princeton and Cupertino locations in equal ways. Navigation must be clean, functional, and flexible for future growth.

Solutions

Dragonfly presented two design concepts incorporating location photography into the design. To give equal coverage to both buildings, the homepage has a Flash-based animation that fades one building at a time in the same space. NEC draws in highly qualified job candidates through the special call out section designed by Dragonfly which gives attention to the latest openings. The photography catches viewers' eyes because of the right lighting and post production work. And areas of research are shown on the homepage with rollovers to show the details of NEC's research.

Results

The designs far exceeded NEC's expectations. Major attention was given to the recruiting effort. Dragonfly was able to incorporate employees into the lab environment without distracting from the equipment. But the best part of NEC's reaction: disbelief over the visual quality presented in the website. They asked, "Is this really our lab"? The computer labs stood out thanks to Dragonfly's great photo direction. View the final Web site.

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