Building Products and ebuild Present the First Annual Vanguard Best of the Web Awards

Continued from page 2

Category: BEST OVERALL

Our Vanguard judges singled out four manufacturers' Web sites that stand out among all of the Vanguard entrants and deserve special recognition for 'best in class.'

• Bosch Home Appliances' Green Resource Center
Designed to appeal equally to the consumer and the building professional, Bosch Home Appliances' Green Resource Center Web site uses modern, clean text and imagery to show off the manufacturer's energy-efficient products. 'It's an excellent resource,' commented one judge.

Bosch Home Appliances-Best Overall

• Integrity Windows and Doors
Judges gave the Integrity Windows and Doors Web site kudos for its easy navigation, aided by good drop-down menus and a clean look. A design with 'no cutesy graphics' and the use of 'funny, informative' videos cinched the award. 'Any site that is this easy to use, makes me laugh, and educates me is tops!' raved one judge.

Integrity-Best Overall

• Southern Pine Council
Packed with online courses and information for a variety of building professionals, Southern Pine Council's Web site 'includes or links to basically everything you always wanted to know about lumber,' noted one judge. Furthermore, 'This Web site provides so much information on one site without unnecessary content.'

Souther Pine-Best Overall

• Thermador
One judge got 'sucked in' by Thermador's Web site and 'didn't want to leave.' An elegant design couples with an abundance of content relevant to both consumers and building professionals. Videos, photos, and drawings of products, one judge noted, make finding answers easy and enjoyable.

Thermador-Best Overall

Category: BEST NAVIGATION

Judges surfed each Web site to see how easy it was to get the information they wanted. Sites that offer keyword searches, easy-to-read text, and an easy-to-find navigation bar fared better than those that contain broken links or require multiple clicks to get to builder information.

Best in Class

• Hilti
This simple, well-organized Web site allowed one judge to get directly to the information she wanted without jumping from section to section.

Hilti-Best Navigation

• Thermador
Thermador's site is 'completely logical on every level,' one judge said, noting that everything on the site is clearly labeled. 'There is nothing a viewer can't find within a few clicks.'

Thermador-Best Navigation

Honorable Mention

• Bosch Home Appliances' Green Resource Center
• Crown Heritage Stairs
• Fiberweb
• Integrity Windows and Doors
• Jeld-Wen
• NuCedar Mills
• Southern Pine Council

Category: BEST DESIGN

Web sites that feature a clean design, user-friendly color scheme, and easy-to-read font types and sizes were winners with our judges. Clutter cost some entrants their shot at a Vanguard Award.

Best in Class

• Crown Heritage Stairs
Crown Heritage Stairs' Web site makes it 'easy to see' what the manufacturer's products are about, said one judge. The site constantly changes the product photos on its home page, using 'good flow' and 'good photos,' she noted.

Crown Heritage Stairs-Best Design

• Thermador
'Stunning!' is how one judge described Thermador's Web site. The design, he noted, is 'elegant, stylish, sophisticated, and downright beautiful. The site is a perfect reflection of an exclusive, classy product line.'

Thermador-Best Design

Honorable Mention

• Bosch Home Appliances' Green Resource Center
• Fiberweb
• Hilti
• Integrity Windows and Doors
• Nana Wall Systems