THE CHALLENGE
AEMO is Australia’s independent energy markets and power systems operator, responsible for the day-to-day management of the wholesale energy market. The organisation plans and forecasts national energy requirements, and provides power systems information and security advice.
Despite this, few consumers knew of AEMO’s existence - until the organisation was put in the spotlight and criticised by the national press for causing a major blackout in South Australia.
AEMO’s had to begin owning the conversation on Australia’s energy; rather than being set apart from it. They briefed us to create a platform that would engage new audiences; establish category leadership, and differentiate from other energy news sources.
There were three key design challenges:
Engage with two different audiences: a content hub that would appeal to both the general public, and media.
Ensuring simplicity of navigation: we focused on keeping the journey simple, to enable users to access content easily.
Applying AEMO’s new brand to the hub’s design, whilst avoiding a potentially dry corporate aesthetic.
THE WORK
The hub was the first of its kind in Australia for the local energy market. Without direct comparisons within the industry, we looked to examples in other sectors (e.g. ANZ’s Bluenotes and Bupa’s Blue Room); whilst taking inspiration from simple, industry leading blog platforms, such as Broadsheet, The Intercept, and Medium, to create a intuitive design that tied back into the needs of the user.
As well as needing to cover broad and varying topics, and be frequently updated, our core task was to make the complex simple, making something less ‘corporate feeling’ and more news-y. A big part of this was using a very visual approach, with bold, clear, inviting text before entering any particular article, podcast, or video within the site.
THE RESULTS
The site is now known as the place to go for impartial facts on the Australian Energy industry.
Content created for the site has been picked up by mainstream media with the site receiving positive reviews by industry, the Prime Minister and government officials, and everyday Australians alike.
In the first three months after launch, the hub had:
17,857 unique visitors - 7,335 from social channels. The launch of the Energy Live newsletter received an open rate of 30% - 20% above the industry average.
TESTIMONIAL
“The circumstances of the statewide SA blackout in September 2016, as well as other high profile events earlier that year, highlighted the need for us to increase our proactive position in the public eye. This increased exposure and spotlight provided us a unique and real opportunity to evolve our public profile and take a stronger position as the independent voice and thought-leader on energy issues.”
Joe Adamo: Executive General Manager Public Affairs, AEMO
AWARDS
Melbourne Design Awards - Digital: Corporate. Silver