Minister for Health launches vital drug education website

RICHMOND, Tasmania – 23rd June 2011 – The Tasmanian Minister for Health, Michelle O’Byrne yesterday launched the Drug Education Network’s new website which aims to provide Tasmanians with a vital new resource for improved access to the latest drug education.

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.

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Press Contact:
David Shering
Handbuilt Creative
+61 (0)422 977 779
press@handbuiltcreative.com
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Drug Education Network:
http://www.den.org.au

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