NASA Home & City - 2010 Webby Award, Best Government Web Site
Woodpile Studios has won the 14th Annual Webby Award in the Government Category for its interactive online feature, NASA Home and NASA City. In collaboration with the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and exceedingly talented strategic interactive and development partners, Woodpile Studios concepted and developed this interactive experience for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Public Outreach Department. The objective of this effort was to provide and entertaining and accessible tool for educating the nation on how the global public benefits extensively through critical scientific breakthroughs, technological advancements and product innovation which resulted either directly, or in part, through NASA research and development conducted for space exploration.
Although Woodpile has produced several significant projects for NASA, the NASA Home & City interactive website was our most extensive and rewarding undertaking. This engaging online experience highlights the surprising number of items in our daily lives that can be traced directly to space exploration. The site has become a centerpiece of graduate training at the National Institute of Aerospace, was utilized in a traveling exhibit located in major transportation hubs across the country (O'Hare airport display below), received its own kiosk in the National Air & Space Museum, and is also featured on discovery.com. It won a 2009 ADDY Award, was named CableFAX's 2009 Best of the Web, and was the winner of the Webby Award in the Government category for the 14th Annual Webby Awards.
Woodpile Studios began working with NASA in 2005, when we were asked to design a tradeshow display for their Centennial Challenges program—which was established to conduct prize competitions in support of the Vision for Space Exploration and ongoing NASA programs. In addition, we produced a set of postcards featuring custom illustrations, honoring a century of such challenges. We were also tasked with designing a functioning dart board set, commemorating the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. This board and gel-tipped darts were custom-produced to specifications.
We began contributing to NASA’s online presence by developing NASA 101—a Flash site that seeks to inform members of Congress and the general public about the top priorities of the five Directorates of NASA.
