gonewark hoopfest

Challenge

“Newark is the only new city, and the Prudential Center the only new venue, to host an NCAA Regional Tournament in 2011.” This is a huge opportunity for Mayor Booker and the municipal council to capture and alter the public perception of a city that was becoming known only for poverty and crime. the city needed a website that would not only highlight the arrival of the tournament, but would also showcase newark as a city risen from the ashes, and all it has to offer. an estimated 55,000 people will come from across the nation to attend the games from March 24-27, and see that Newark is as viable a destination as any other US city.  our biggest challenge was developing the site on short notice, and within the stringent NCAA guidelines.

Solution

we embraced the basketball theme to present a design that was playful and graphic driven. little details like making the balls bounce in the header menu gave a playful feel to the sites’ navigation. live tweets and facebook “likes” on the homepage show that people are talking about Newark, and build excitement about the games to come. the visitors guide gives visitors an easy means of discovering the flavor of the city beyond the arena. our goal was to create a mobile friendly site so visitors could quickly locate one of the dozens of restaurants or events happening.