The ORION project is an ambitious partnership created to put Shetland at the forefront of the transition to clean energy. The founding partners came together under a shared vision that will place Shetland at the heart of cutting-edge clean energy production. The project has bold plans to develop a new industry, create hundreds of jobs and export clean affordable energy.
ORION’s team approached NB to design and develop a website that conveyed their positive vision of the future, highlighted the strategic advantages of Shetland’s location and skilled workforce, and detailed the benefits to both the community and the energy industry supply chain.
The complex nature of the project required us to find an innovative approach to the website design – it had to capture ORION’s ambitions and relay the story in terms the community could easily understand, while providing credible information for energy industry specialists.
With simplicity of information at the heart of the site, NB’s strategy was to focus on creating strong visuals, serving a dual purpose of clarity and usability alongside strengthening the awareness of ORION’s newly created branding.
Our design and development team crafted a bespoke interactive map of the island, showcasing the key locations within the ORION project.
The map is the focal point of the site’s home page. Each of the unique graphics click through to additional information, helping the community understand what is happening in each location.
As the site’s structure was being created, NB’s content creators worked closely with ORION’s team to develop the copy required to populate the new pages. As with the design, making the information precise but easy to understand was the priority. ORION’s ambitions, objectives and key messaging are all clearly portrayed throughout both the home page and other key pages.
The bespoke website provides a user friendly and eye-catching hub of information for the ORION project. With sections focusing on each of the key stakeholders – including both community and industry – and a clear sense of purpose, the site aligns with ORION’s ambitions and provides the foundation ORION required to kickstart their community engagement and communications.
Throughout the various design phases of the website, it was easy to see why NB Communication has a fantastic reputation across the islands and beyond. What especially drew us to them was their being based in Lerwick meaning they are directly connected to Shetland and its community just like ORION. The entire NB team was great. Project manager Kylie Wood was an absolute joy to work with and kept in constant contact to make sure the project followed the timeline with all its different, sometimes complicated, elements. I am incredibly impressed with how amazing the website looks and flows to create the feel of the project. The added benefit of ease in changing content and resources will help expand the website to match the continuous development happening within ORION.
Andi Grochowski - Future Energy Communications Officer