Design Business Association commission Prospect to design and develop the Design Directory website, the DBA’s online database of design agencies.

In a future step, Prospect will overhaul the DBA’s main website. As explained in this week's Design Week magazine, the contract was awarded after the DBA looked at a long list of 14 member agencies, short listing three agencies for a credentials pitch. DBA development director Adam Fennelow said, “We were looking for a group with strong examples of user-centred web development. We were really impressed with Prospect’s working processes.”

The Directory will offer member agencies the possibility of posting illustrated case studies, as well as other information needed by clients to judge agency suitability. Clients will benefit from a simplified and streamlined pitch process, as agencies will have been pre-qualified by the DBA.

Each consultancy will have a hubpage with connections to case studies, company profiles, corporate governance and people information. “The creative challenge is that the site has a complex user journey because there is so much information in the database,” said Prospect client services director Frederic Van Camp.

The design of the Directory is an evolution of the current DBA site and injects some new life into the brand, while still respecting it. The bigger opportunity will be how to update the overall site in the future. Prospect strategic director Richard Eisermann said, “I’m sure we’ll be able to do something really exciting with the look and feel of the new DBA website.”

The Directory is scheduled to go live in October, while the new site will go live sometime in 2011.