In advertising, March is awards season. It’s the time when agencies from across Buffalo come together for our AAF chapter’s American Advertising Awards and celebrate the industry’s best and brightest.
This year brought some steep competition. With a record-breaking number of submissions from a lot of seriously talented peers, the judges had their work cut out for them. In the end, our hard work paid off and we came home with a silver award!
We love getting to create some really cool things for our clients and take a lot of pride in everything we put out. But there are some projects that just stick with you. Our work on the Richardson Olmsted Campus was definitely one of them this year. We’re thrilled the judges agreed!
Richardson Olmsted Campus
Elements of Advertising: Silver Award for Digital Creative Technology – User Experience
Getting the chance to redesign a website for one of Buffalo’s reimagined landmarks was a bit of a full-circle moment for Parkway. Our name was inspired by Olmsted, Vaux & Co., whose “parkway” systems have connected some of Buffalo’s iconic neighborhoods since the 1870s. Not only that, but the ceremonies took place at Buffalo State College, which stand on some of the original Richardson Olmsted Campus grounds.
For those who aren’t already familiar with the Richardson Olmsted Campus, it’s one of Buffalo’s great architectural achievements. The building was constructed on a 203-acre estate in the late 1800s as a sprawling psychiatric facility. After the last patients were moved from the property in the 1970s, the Campus received National Register for Historic Places status.
It was a privilege to not only play a role in unveiling the Campus’s new beginning, but also in helping visitors rediscover it. From a complicated past to newfound restoration and fledgling future, we knew the website needed to represent these critical points of the Campus’s story. The site navigation is organized by “now,” “then” and “next” to guide guests to current events and tours, preceding history and upcoming plans.
While the Campus is reopening to the public with the new Richardson Hotel and walking/biking tours, a lot remains unfinished. We ensured site visitors didn’t have to search too hard for ways to get involved or stay connected. Call-to-action buttons asking for support and newsletter signups pop on the site, making them that much easier to find and engage with.