After months of anticipation, the new Zend.com site launched this week. The site for Zend, the PHP Company, was thought-up and redesigned from the ground up by Varien on the basis of criteria gathered during a site audit on Zend’s previous site. The feedback from the site-audit illuminated the need for an overhaul to the information architecture of the site as well as urged more focus in the overall messaging of the site.

Working closely with the Marketing team of Zend based in Cupertino, Germany, and Israel, Varien set to architect a site that would account for much of Zend’s existing multi-lingual content, their new content and integrate content dispersed in different Zend entities online.

The new design established a clear information hierarchy and visual language with type, color and composition used consistently on every page. From a marketing standpoint, the call out banners throughout the site were given ample space, refined messaging and a matching look and feel that communicates Zend’s image as a professional, modern, tech-savvy company. New features such as Product Showcase and Browse by user type were added to give users yet another way of finding relevant information fast.

Another goal that the new design set to accomplish was to make major processes on the site such as Downloads, Store, Support and My Account more efficient. To achieve this, Varien collaborated with specific departments at Zend to accommodate their unique customer or product-related needs.

For all the security in online banking, you sometimes can’t find your bank account number. I mean the full one. Lets face it, you hardly have to use it anymore. ATM cards, your bank’s site’s cookie and your social security number have all replaced our need to memorize our bank account number. My dad had his bank account number memorized for thiry years all I have to remember is my password. But, when you’re asked for it, the full account number, where do you get it from? Citibank which makes me feel very smart for choosing them, provide the solution. Very simple, you can choose to have you account number displayed in a masked format (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-111) or display it fully. I love them for that. Now, if they could only apply some of their online logic to their billboard campaign.

Change Me is an interactive flash presentation of the online catalog of one of the largest stock photography companies, GettyImages.com. With Change Me, http://changeme.gettyimages.com/main.aspx GettyImages showcase their images not for the purpose of licensing them to advertsing campaigns but, for a change, as a tool for people around the world to share their thoughts inspired by a certain Getty image.

This project is open to everyone. Participants are asked to enter an image # from the GettyImages catalog, a link to Getty’s catalog is provided, and then to write in less than 450 words what this image means to them and how it may have changed them. After filling up a minimal form they submit the image with their commentary for review. Every submission results in a $10 donation by Getty Images to the ONE Campaign: The Campaign To Make Poverty History and if approved, the image with the participant’s commentary is posted on the site. What makes the whole experience feel genuine is the indigenous look and feel of the site. With parchment paper for a background image and handwritten content throughout, Change Me is as universal as the images it showcases.