Swanke Hayden Connell Architects needed an update to their website; present a modern and contemporary look and feel, while still honoring the firm’s 100-year-long history. 4 Corners undertook an extensive Discovery process and, teaming with SHCA, conceptualized a website which showcases SHCA’s best work and rich experience. 4 Corners fully designed and developed the site, including an extensive Content Management System, utilizing the most up-to-date innovative technologies to create a seamless, fast, and effective website from top to bottom.

In an ongoing relationship with Office Depot, a NASCAR sponsor, 4 Corners has strategized, designed, and developed the website for Office Depot Racing. Creating and maintaining a website where fans can really connect with both Office Depot and Carl Edwards, the No. 99 NASCAR driver, 4 Corners leveraged social networking capabilities to provide an environment where fans can interact and showcase their own content, as well as receive up-to-date news, photos, videos, appearances, and race-related information.

Warnaco, a trusted and respected name in the intimate apparel industry, needed an update in the look of three of its main brands – Olga, Body Slimmers, and Warner’s. Partnering with Warnaco, 4 Corners revitalized the look and feel of the three brands, determining the primary target audience for each and designing effective solutions for the identities, as well as packaging, labels, and in-store environments. The new looks differentiate between the three brands, and bring a freshness and vitality back to an organization with an impressive history.

Vintage New Zealand sought to solve a unique problem in the American marketplace – create a single environment where customers can not only purchase all New Zealand wines in one location, but also experience the wines as much as possible in an online setting. 4 Corners developed extensive content, include video “Virtual Tastings” and interactive maps and features, that allow users to interact as much as possible with the wines before purchase. Also utilizing social networking features, users interact with each other and share insights, opinions, their own personal “cellars,” and experiences to bring forward the concept of Social Commerce.

4 Corners worked closely with the United Rentals Human Resources to completely overhaul their online and print recruitment materials. 4 Corners redesigned the HR website and introduced a much-needed human element; drawing on personal stories and interviews with current employees at a number of locations throughout North America. 4 Corners also designed and produced new print recruitment materials to coincide with the new website, including brochures, handshake cards, and banner stands for job and recruitment fairs.

International business professional needed a single web destination that catered to their specific and diverse global interests. Taking this to heart, TIME, Inc. and 4 Corners strategized, designed, and developed a new Global Business section for the TIME.com website. Utilizing TIME’s continuing global news coverage and features, data from the World Economic Forum (WEF), and other web sources, the Global Business section allows users to pinpoint specific countries and regions to gain information on top news stories in the area as well as local currency, language, capitol city, major airports, business customs, and top industries. The site fully utilizes the WEF’s ranking system, outlining the top 100 countries in which to do businesses, based on criteria such as global competitiveness, corruption, and infrastructure. A convenient and one-stop location for both breaking news and important business information catered specifically to the global business professional.

4 Corners developed the brand and product interface for SmartEquip, a company that creates new process and support software for the construction rental industry. The website and product site (also available on handheld devices) organized millions of pages of documentation and diagrams for use in maintaining equipment and ordering parts. Highly interactive, the site is an effective tool for the maintenance and efficiency of construction fleets.

Hallmark was faced with the challenge of taking a long-established and trusted brand and refitting it online for their newly launched magazine. Building upon the magazine’s design, as well as extensive audience research, 4 Corners designed a highly engaging website which acts not only as an online destination for articles and magazine content, but more importantly as an online destination for users . 4 Corners carefully took into consideration the primary audience and architected and designed a site that is highly appealing and interactive, and maintains the voice and “fun” factor that makes the print publication so successful.

Working with Scholastic, 4 Corners explored the concept of searching for products and took it to a whole new level. The pilot version of the Parent Path is an interactive tool that allows parents and children to search by creating a story (and accompanying avatar) around the child’s grade, age, reading level, and variety of interests. Based on this narrative, users receive finely tuned book recommendations, as well as options to save and share their reading lists. 4 Corners worked closely with Scholastic to create the voice, interactivity, and illustrative style for the wizard, which is now being expanded for further release including the development of a teacher-focused version.

Office Depot had received customer feedback that the in-store brand experience (which customers felt was very strong) wasn’t matching with the experience users had on the website. A confusing site architecture and overwhelming amount of products left online users feeling dissatisfied. Partnering with Office Depot, 4 Corners took an in-depth look into the architecture and user interface of the site and designed an entirely new offering without changing or adding any new functionality. 4 Corners orchestrated in-depth usability testing sessions, utilizing a rapid prototyping techniques to introduce new solutions while the testing sessions were taking place. Launching just in time for Holiday 2006, the site was an overwhelming success, drastically increasing Office Depot's online sales.

In parallel with the redesign of their entire website, the New York Times wanted to expand its online offerings in the luxury real estate market. Developing new tools to simplify and personalize the user experience, 4 Corners designed and developed a new website section (called “Havens”) where users could access expert advice and other help centers, expert blogs, podcasts, and personal chat sessions. In conjunction with the real estate listing and information portal, 4 Corners designed a resource for users on financing and home purchase. Designed for customization to regional newspapers, the site section gives users a valuable resource for not only searching and finding new real estate, but for researching and accessing expert information for a complete process all in one location.

McGraw-Hill Construction, a $3.4 trillion global company, needed an online platform to host over a million professionals, linking users to their vast database of resources and materials. To do this, 4 Corners designed the Sweets Network for Products, aimed at connecting people, projects, and products. The network catalogs, describes, facilitates, and helps users (including ten thousand manufacturers, engineers, and architects) interact and discover a myriad of online construction products. In addition, 4 Corners created the branding and advertising collateral including, brochures, rich media banners, multi-tier direct mailers, and print advertisements.

4 Corners was engaged to rename, re-brand, and re-launch an established company – ZDE, the education division of Ziff-Davis. Working to develop an entirely new brand strategy and platform (“the knowledge catalyst”), 4 Corners worked to develop a new name (Element K) and visual strategy to capture the idea. 4 Corners worked to bring this idea to life with a powerful launch campaign, web site development, print collateral, trade show materials, and a state-of-the-art internal training program.

DoubleClick needed a name and brand platform for their newly acquired internet research division. 4 Corners began by developing a platform – “The Essential Element” – that positions the new company as a critical ingredient in online marketing and strategy. From there, 4 Corners developed the “Diameter” name – borrowing a word from geometry that at once conveys measurement, comprehensiveness, and technology – and the visual identity system: a simple wordmark and arrow symbol that “measures” any object imaginable.

Collaborating with American Express, 4 Corners was engaged to increase small business online registration for the Summary of Accounts web feature. 4 Corners designed and produced an interactive online presentation and accompanying interactive CD (which was delivered in a direct marking piece) using American Express customer service representatives as experts in providing information about the Summary of Accounts. Thanks to the initiative, record numbers of card members registered and learned about the benefits of available online member services.

American Express OPEN needed an innovative way of allowing users to have quick assess to their account information throughout the day. Taking this need to heart, 4 Corners designed a unique desktop dashboard solution that allows customers easy, instant, and continuous access to their most important account information and functions. The dashboard runs from an icon on the desktop, is fully customizable by the user, and launches the web Summary of Accounts interface directly.

Accenture, a leader in the management consulting and technology field, wanted to move past its conservative image and better display its innovative spirit and ability to implement high-performance business strategies. In exploring the core audience of the website, 4 Corners learned that a large portion of the user group were internal Accenture employees doing research on case studies. Taking this and the brand spirit to heart, 4 Corners implemented a solution which highlighted the company’s outstanding abilities to outside clients while providing a valuable research resource for internal users.