Book And Audio Book Publisher Website Redesign

** Project title: Publisher Website Redesign

* About us:

Phoenix Books & Audio is one of the nation's leading producers of books and audio books. With everything ranging from mystery and suspense to self-motivation and autobiographies to fiction and non-fiction, we have something for everyone.

* Target audience for Website:

The primary audience of the site is the consumers. Secondary targets for the site include: media, book resellers, prospective authors and partners. The site should position Phoenix Books & Audio as the premier independent publisher of books and audio books. Our competitors / peers include:

http://www.harpercollins.com/

http://www.randomhouse.com/

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/

http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/

http://www.scholastic.com

Design Concept Phase

* Private Design Concept Brief

This project is a website redesign for the Phoenix Books & Audio main website (www.phoenixbooksandaudio.com). It should give the site a fresh and modern look and feel as well as tighten the organization of the site. The current site is static HTML however the revised site will operate on a content management platform (e.g., Django, Drupal). The updated site should refine the site architecture and streamline the management of the site.

The deliverables for this design concept phase are mockup's and JPG and PSD files for the following site sections:

Site Homepage

Title Browse Page

Title Detail Page

While the site will have a catalog, there will be no eCommerce component. All eCommerce type functionality will be off site on Amazon or other e-tailers. The target actions for visitors on the Website are:

Signup for email list, newsletter, and/or follow on twitter

Click to purchase title from linked e-tailer

We will be deploying YouTube video which should be incorporated into the design.

The company is particularly dynamic and unique in the range of titles published. With approximately 2500 titles ranging from Agatha Christie to Kiss' Gene Simons the company is one of the most diverse independent publishers in the world. The site should reflect this diversity.

Many of the customers enjoy audio books because of poor vision. The site should make use of slightly larger type and work well when browser type preferences are large.

Our preference is less white space. Make maximum use of space without feeling cluttered.

The homepage should make use of low overhead dynamic flash such as this widget:

http://flashden.net/item/banner-rotator-...

The design concept should leverage book covers with this sort of approach. Features homepage titles will pull from the database. We are open to the dynamic homepage area being compiled from database information of a specific image being created by our designers for each new title that is featured on the homepage in this area.

The company currently has two "imprints" or brands and may add additional brands in the future. Right now they are Phoenix Books and Audio (www.phoenixbooksandaudio.com) and Dove Books (http://www.dovebooksinc.com/). This redesign is for the www.phoenixbooksandaudio.com website only but there must be a site section (e.g., sidebar) which shows the imprints (currently Phoenix and Dove Books logos). with links to the respective sites.

* Reference Websites / Designs

Words to describe the new site:

- youthful

- fresh

- dynamic

http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/offers/...

Like: Use of images, less white space but not cluttered, Lots of information on the page

http://www.thedailybeast.com/

Like: Use of images, large amount of information, mix of photos and graphic design

http://31three.com/

Like: Clean and elegant, mix of illustration and photography, geometric, elegance

Hertz Etc., Apple,

We would give weight to design approaches from heavily tested brands