Musing about The Favorite Website Awards (TheFWA), and beautiful web design as owned media for brands.
I began my strategy career on the digital side of things. I was super excited about what we could do with technology, marketing, and communication.
For all my interest in website design back then in 2007 when I began, much of the attention went to social media; Facebook apps and Twitter integrations.
To this day, the general idea is for brands to go where the audiences are hanging out captive, here on Linkedin, TikTok, Instagram, etc.
I think many people, marketers included, think of social networks as owned or earned media, even though the networks own the digital space, and brands have to pay for the algorithms to boost their content so that it’s seen by more than just a few people.
With that, I think websites might have been disregarded.
I’ve even occasionally heard said websites aren’t necessary, though I’ve also heard they’re having a resurgence.
The website is unquestionably a brand’s owned media.
I believe that is always worth investing in.
It’s an opportunity for the digital expression of a brand and the operations of the business, 100% in your control, nothing going to social media algorithms that aren’t working for your brand’s interest (well, search engine have algorithms but that’s for another time).
Your website is both a living thing that evolves over time, and a long term investment in developing your brand value.
How exactly, may depend on your industry, who you expect will visit, and what they are looking for.
I was doing some research for a client project recently, and I was pleasantly surprised to realise The Favorite Website Awards is still around, and Awwwards for website design as well.
I hadn’t visited in a while, and it was refreshing to see there are many beautiful websites being designed and published.
It was a pharma related project, so I took notice of this business website by Bürocratik studio.
If you check it out, you might agree their website design gives an immediate and strong impression of their brand positioning, illustrated with their line on the homepage: ‘Leveraging science to Brighten the Future,’ and supported by the animated infinity symbol, feeling like a living strand of DNA or something equally “science-looking.”
Hematogenix corporate website: https://hematogenix.com/
I’m now making a point to remember and regularly check beautiful website designs for inspiration. Have you come across good website designs recently?
TheFWA: www.thefwa.com
Awwwards: www.awwwards.com
