Project brief: Two decades ago, AOL was the internet’s undisputed powerhouse brand, the leading provider of dial-up access and aggregated content on the web. Since then, the internet has changed dramatically, and so has AOL. With dial-up customers fading fast and content exploding across the web, AOL continued to drive success by radically changing their business model. Over the past few years, the brand has evolved from a paid portal to a competitor for free portals like MSN and Yahoo. To show its changed business, AOL underwent a rebrand. However, communicating the brand required a product that embodied the new AOL.

The impetus for a vibrant new corporate site was obvious—a new leader, new strategy and new corporate brand. Having worked together for years, AOL looked to Method to define their corporate and brand presence. The challenge was in translating that into something tangible. For Method, the mission was clear: it was time to celebrate the new AOL by embracing, clearly and unabashedly, the kind of company AOL has become.

Approach: Method began by rethinking the traditional architecture, which had kept AOL’s properties and personality hidden from view. The solution: scale down written content, replace it with briefer, more salient messaging and add a wealth of video and imagery as focal points of the page. The principle was simple, says Milena Sadée, one of Method’s creative leads: “Less to read, more to see—a holistic view at a glance.” The new page experience is divided into three distinct bands: main copy on the left, video at the center and a collage of facts, stats, quips, quotes and photos on the right. The collage, says Sadée, “is the ‘voices layer’; it’s all about the personality of AOL. While videos reflect what AOL puts out, this layer shows what AOL’s made of: the facts, the people, the ideas that make AOL what it is.” The videos and voices extend throughout the site, reinforcing the spirit of AOL life.

The new AOL corporate site is also a stronger resource for recruitment, essential for a company now committed to developing the best original content and ramping up efforts to hire and nurture a new generation of online talent.

Effectiveness: Playful and engaging, AOL’s new presence is a true portrait of a transformed company, one determined to thrive in a challenging era under dynamic new leadership. Most remarkable, Method accomplished the transformation on a super fast-track schedule. All told, the site went from kickoff to completion in a mere six weeks.

Beautifully executed, compelling treatment for a hard-to-rehabilitate brand. Fresh. Fun and user-friendly.