Building credibility with the 'WOW!' factor

Microsoft® and XPLANE teamed up to create a highly creative, visually stimulating poster to impress audiences and demonstrate expertise in the market place.

Challenge | Microsoft needed to prove its capabilities in web development in order to build credibility in a market dominated by other players. To do this, the Microsoft Expression Studio team conducted extensive research on people who make websites including what roles are involved and how the workflow between contributors is handled. After this was accomplished the next step was to create a smart and highly creative deliverable, with little or no Microsoft branding visible, that could draw attention and create “buzz” at industry events.

Action | Through a collaborative visual session, Microsoft and XPLANE decided on creating a poster that would impress people throughout the web development market, simply by existing. The two companies worked closely together to determine the most effective design, style and messaging to incorporate into the poster. XPLANE’s creative team designed an intricate and highly-detailed visual map that loosely follows the flow of effort going into the creation of a website with depictions of all of key players involved in the process. The poster is designed in an illustrative style that draws attention simply by being different.

Results | The final deliverable, “A Website Named Desire”, is a 33×25” full-color poster created by XPLANE and Microsoft. Microsoft is using the poster in a variety of ways, including via an interactive website at awebsitenameddesire.com where, among other things, visitors have the opportunity to interact with the poster and purchase a copy. “A Website Named Desire” is also shared at trade shows and other industry events. The creative nature of the poster causes a high level of curiosity and excitement and viewers are immediately drawn in to explore all of the players and actions depicted in the piece. “A Website Named Desire” has been well received both internally at Microsoft and with clients.