Casa Vicens wins the prestigious Horizon Interactive Awards for the best cultural institution website

17 / 12 / 2024

History

Gaudí’s first house also receives a special award for the “Best use of typography” on its new website

The UNESCO World Heritage Site’s new website was voted the winner in the “Art/Culture” section, competing against different cultural projects such as the San Francisco Art Timeline and the National Ballet of Canada website.

The project for revamping the Casa Vicens website kicked off at the beginning of this year, underpinned by an assessment of two aspects: on the one hand the cultural institution’s situation after six years of opening to the public, and on the other the answers sought by visitors to the site when looking for information about Casa Vicens. This resulted in an evaluation and a restructuring of all its content, including the generation of new content and the development of new sections such as the press, the leasing of spaces, agencies or photo sessions, which were further bolstered through the generation of new graphic and audiovisual material.

Casa Vicens asserts that the objective was to “take a major leap in Casa Vicens’ brand image on the Internet, projecting all the chromatic beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nevertheless, we particularly wanted to make sure that all the sensations perceived by visitors during their actual tour of the site - such as the wind on the plants, fountain water, the sense of touch on a tile, etc.- were also conveyed in the digital experience offered by the website. We wanted the web to be an oasis, just like the house”, said Pilar Delgado, Casa Vicens’ Head of Communication.

All this was made possible by the NORTH digital product studio, resulting in a dynamic website catering to different browsing profiles: for example, someone seeking practical information about their visit to Gaudí’s first house or those who might be interested in learning more about the history of this museum-house, or, for example, in discovering all the nature-based symbols that Gaudí embodied in the rooms of the house.

All this work came to fruition last 15 July 2024, when the website went live, and has now reaped its reward with a double prize: the best website in the world in the Art/Culture category and the best use of typography. The typographies applied are the museum-house’s leitmotiv, in use since 2017 in all its corporate materials, including the museum’s graphic aspects. Two typographies that contrast with each other have been used on the web. Firstly, a modern, minimalist and geometric font that conveys clarity and modernity, coupled with one characterised by a more historic and organic style, reflecting Gaudí’s artistic depth. This contrast between the contemporary and the traditional reinforces the dual nature of a 19th-century private house transformed into a museum-house in the 21st century and which has wowed modern visitors and history buffs alike.

The Horizon Interactive Awards were created in 2001 to acknowledge excellence in the production of interactive media the world over. The judging panel is comprised of advisers and also by world-acknowledged professionals (who rotate every year) in websites, mobile applications, the printed media, interactive screens, public exhibitions, online advertising, video, etc., who acknowledge ”the best of the best” in the interactive media sector. In the words of Mike Sauce, the founder of the Horizon Interactive Awards: “The diversity of work that was displayed in this competition was amazing. We continue to see a perfect blend of art, storytelling, innovation and technical excellence throughout the categories in the competition. It is that intersection that truly makes the winners in this year’s competition stand out.”