The site (http://www.den.org.au) was created by Tasmanian based Handbuilt Creative, and features an imposing, evocative design that was developed to be thought provoking and to clearly demonstrates the value of the drug education services on offer.

“The website now provides easy, 24-hour access to drug education information for all Tasmanians including parents, young people, teachers, expectant mothers, employers and the relatives of older people affected by drug misuse” said Ms O’Byrne.

“I’m particularly pleased to be launching these new resources during Drug Action Week, which is all about raising awareness of alcohol and other drug issues in Australia”.

The Minister unveiled the new site at the Drug Education Network’s new premises in Elizabeth St, Hobart, and praised the organisation for embracing the way increasing numbers of Tasmanians access information with the development of its new website.

Speaking at the event, Handbuilt Creative’s managing director David Shering discussed the rationale behind their approach to the web design, including the need for careful research and the subsequent creation of online goals.

Focusing on the need for the new website to reduce information overload, Mr Shering demonstrated the techniques employed to provide a greater level of accessibility and usability in order for website users to find the information they need.

“In today’s modern world we are constantly bombarded by emails, social media and other distractions” said Mr Shering.

“From our research and experience, we know that many websites have a similar appearance and suffer from too much content, resulting in the end-user being overwhelmed. We felt it imperative to create a design that reduced these barriers to entry, and allow people to find they content they want quickly”.

Going on to discuss the importance of authenticity in the building of trust in a website, the Handbuilt Creative director indicated that the company had chosen the website’s iconic homepage image after looking at almost 10,000 photographs.

“Finding the image that communicates exactly the right message, tone and level of sincerity is worth all the effort. When you are passionate about your work, then it becomes enjoyable to spend many hours looking at photographs or drafting new designs. This stunning image reaches out and touches your soul” he said.

Handbuilt Creative have previously worked with the Hobart based Drug Education Network where they were commissioned to design and develop the innovative Tune In Not Out website (http://www.tuneinnotout.com), which gained international acclaim at the recent 2011 Webby Awards in New York by becoming the only Australian company to receive a Webby Honoree in the Youth website category alongside the ten other finalists which included business giants Disney, Lego and MTV.

Handbuilt Creative is a bespoke design agency based in Tasmania, specialising in producing handbuilt products for the web, print and exhibitions. Their aim is to meet their clients needs in remarkable ways using the latest technology and their passion for design, user experience and business development.
Visit http://www.handbuiltcreative.com for more information.

###

Visit our Media area:
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com/media

To access our Media Kit:
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com/media/media-kit

Press Contact:
David Shering
Handbuilt Creative
+61 (0)422 977 779
press@handbuiltcreative.com
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com

Drug Education Network:
http://www.den.org.au

To view the Webby Awards:
http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=96&category_id=68&season=15

David Shering, from Handbuilt Creative, designed and developed the award winning Tune In Not Out website (http://www.tuneinnotout.com) over the course of several months in their one room office. The site was the only Australian Webby Honoree in the Youth website category alongside business colossals such as Disney, Lego and MTV’s Nickelodeon network.

The Webby Awards is the Internet’s most respected symbol of success. The 15th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries worldwide, and are often referred to as “the Oscars of the Net”.

This distinction in website software development recognises excellence in functionality, visual design, structure and navigation, interactivity, content and overall experience.

The innovative Tune In Not Out website was conceived, designed and developed by Handbuilt Creative in response to their clients brief to help young people deal with life’s challenges, and features an innovative instant video recording system to allow young people to share their stories via their webcam.

“Getting 16-24 year old’s to engage with content is extremely difficult, especially with information overload being such a problem. So we focused heavily on user experience, with video as the key incentive to stay on the website, making it easier, quicker and more enjoyable to gain this vital knowledge”, Handbuilt Creative’s owner said.

“Our strategic planning, and passion for design and usability has allowed us to create a website which not only competes with these massive brands but more importantly, gives young people a great resource”.

Tune In Not Out is a nationally delivered initiative of the Australian Lions Drug Awareness Foundation and the Drug Education Network, and aims to provide accessible information on alcohol & drug abuse, bullying, mental health, sex and over 80 other health and well-being topics.

“I think this recognition of our efforts exemplifies how small business can compete on an international stage, and produce high quality, innovative products”, David said.

“We carefully researched our approach and utilised our established internal processes so that we could delegate to systems rather than people in order to produce this award-winning website with such a small workforce”.

“We have spent a great deal of time and investment creating software systems and tools that allow Handbuilt to have much more capacity than even some medium sized businesses without the need for expensive human resources. By maximising the potential and efficiency of our current staff, we are able to provide security for our future, and to have a great platform to accommodate our continued growth with ease.”

Handbuilt Creative is a creative agency based in Tasmania, specialising in producing handbuilt products for the web, print and exhibitions. Their aim is to meet their clients needs in remarkable ways using the latest technology and their passion for design, user experience and business development.
Visit http://www.handbuiltcreative.com for more information.

###

Visit our Media area:
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com/media

To access our Media Kit:
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com/media/media-kit

Press Contact:
David Shering
Handbuilt Creative
+61 (0)422 977 779
press@handbuiltcreative.com
http://www.handbuiltcreative.com

To view the Webby Awards:
http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?media_id=96&category_id=68&season=15

Australian Lions Drug Awareness Foundation (ALDAF):
http://www.lionsclubs.org.au/aldaf

Drug Education Network:
http://www.den.org.au