Why the White House website works
So Barack Obama has been sworn in as President of the United States of America – at last! One of the most evident ways in which things have changed already is the new White House website. It went live within minutes of him being sworn in and is one of those sites that makes me think "I wish I'd done that"!
Here's why:
At 3Sixty we aim for elegant simplicity; boiling a design down until you can't take anything else away. This is a more difficult task than the finished design would suggest. People don't like to leave something out (like a service or product feature). In truth, we know that adding too much stuff in makes it harder for people to work out what you stand for. We're surrounded by visual noise and marketing clutter, so cutting through requires making things simple and differentiated.
How hard must it be to distill your message down if you're the United States Government? Especially at the moment!
The new website homepage has managed to combine elegant typography with almost print like attention to detail, clear simple messaging, and a brevity that focuses your mind on key topical issues. It does this without alienating the granular visitor who chooses to use the search box or go via the global navigation, which has been astutely cut to a minimum.
I think it is this approach that has impressed me the most about the Obama campaign and in particular his use of digital to campaign on a very clear, simple and differentiated message.
It does appear that change has come.
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