The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) has this week launched a newly-streamlined website, providing extensive information about the Institute, its members and events in a sleek, new format.
The new site was designed and developed for the BIID by specialists in all things digital, Core, in partnership with creative communications agency Peter & Paul. Through a series of workshops and thanks to an ongoing dialogue, the website was able to take shape. “This is the third website we’ve built for the BIID, and the second in partnership with P&P,” says Ceri Richmond, Director of Core. “The new site is mobile friendly and deliberately optimised for different sizes and types of device.” Automatically and responsively re-aligning itself to fit any screen size, the new interface enables smartphone and tablet users to view the complete browsing experience.
The website showcases an ergonomic design and user-friendly layout. Crisp, high-definition images flow down the page, foregrounding members’ projects on the site, whilst clear drop-down menus lend themselves to straightforward navigation. “Functionality and navigation were our priority,” explains Paul Reardon, creative director of P&P. “Our designs for the website were simple and strong, guiding users around the site clearly and leaving plenty of space for members’ work to take centre stage.”
Benefits of the new interface for BIID members include access to an extended profile. Members can now upload an image to customise their profile and showcase their work, whilst industry partners are able to add a logo to their page. The new profile design serves as a convenient point of reference for members to verify their category of Institute membership and relevant expiry dates. In the Member Benefits section of the site, exclusive event promotions can be easily located under the “Exhibition and Show Tickets” tab.
Further new features include an updated BIID blog, which can now be browsed by category, and a supplier directory separated into divisions, making it simpler to navigate and quicker to find what you are looking for. The website’s members area has been similarly re-designed, allowing members to view referrals in a clearer format, as well as respond to them faster. In addition, an automated jobs noticeboard regularly updates on the website with information about current available positions and projects.
BIID events and CPDs have been seamlessly merged on the new site with the CPD provider directory and exhibitions diary to create one calendar interface. Every event in the designers’ calendar can now be found conveniently in one place.
