How We Designed a Webby Winning Site by Breaking Every Rule

TL;DR

• We won a Webby by designing a site that thinks different—not just looks good.

• Our creative process combined instinct, trust, and AI experimentation to build something that felt undeniably “us.”

• This wasn't just a site launch, it was my re-entry into the industry I helped shape after a two-decade chapter building another agency.

• This is how we built an award-winning brand and digital platform without a traditional portfolio—and what it means for future-facing organizations.

A Different Kind of Launch

When I stepped away from the agency I co-founded and led for twenty years, I walked away from a deep portfolio, a string of awards, and a reputation built in higher ed, cultural work, and public institutions.

I also signed a non-compete.

For a while, I had to pause the kind of work I cared most about.

When that time ended, this site became my return.

Some people relaunch with press releases. I launched with a point of view. The new site needed to show how adeo thinks, how we lead, and who we collaborate with.

And it had to attract the kinds of clients we actually want to work with - bold, curious, and willing to rethink what's possible.

Why We Rebuilt

Joining adeo wasn't about growing another agency. It was about repositioning the firm around the kind of work this team is built for: strategy-first branding that actually changes something.

Not brand as image. Brand as foundation.

And we knew digital is where the brand either holds up or falls apart. It's where strategy gets tested. It's where audiences decide if your message is meaningful or just noise.

We didn't just build a website to represent the brand. We used the website to discover the brand.

We Didn't Start With a Portfolio

Most agencies rely on a gallery of past work and case studies to prove their value. But we had a different challenge. Much of our best work is either under NDA or tied to legacy institutions. We couldn't rely on screenshots and accolades.

We also recognized that clarifying how we think is more important than showcasing what we've done. The thinking behind the work is the brand.

And we designed a site that invites people into that thinking.

Creative Direction by Instinct

We didn't follow a template or marketing funnel model. We used moodboards, film references, and conversations to shape what the site should feel like. The tone we landed on was cinematic and smart. A little dangerous, but highly strategic.

I told the team, “It should feel like The Gentlemen meets Vanity Fair meets a group of badass women who don't need to prove anything.”

That language unlocked something. It gave permission to ditch best practices and chase alignment.

A Very Particular Set of Skills

At one point early in the process, I joked that our brand should feel like Liam Neeson in a good suit—someone who walks in with a calm voice, a sharp mind, and a very specific set of skills.

The reality is that adeo is unique, it doesn't fit a typical agency mold, and that is powerful.

We're not the agency for everyone. We're the partner for the moments that matter. The ones where the right thinking, voice, and clarity have to show up fast and land hard.

AI Was Our Creative Partner

We used tools like MidJourney, Luma, and Runway not as gimmicks, but as partners. AI helped us visualize directions faster, prototype motion concepts, and make instinctive design decisions based on what felt right.

They let us explore faster, in different mediums, and pulling from any source or inspiration as a starting place. Also, generative AI is fun. But you have to have a strategic and trained eye to cut through the noise and find the diamonds to refine.

These tools didn't replace creativity. They gave it momentum. This creative process and how generative AI is changing the landscape is something I talk with other creatives about in-depth on the Escape Velocity Podcast.

Tracey and Richard Banfield discussing Gen AI

When I Let Go, Everything Shifted

There was a moment where I felt blocked. I couldn't give the vision structure, only feel it. I knew the site wasn't there yet, but I couldn't explain why.

What followed is exactly why I believe in high-trust, high-talent collaboration. Designers leaned into strategic thinking. Strategists pitched visual ideas. We stopped worrying about who owned what and focused instead on what the work needed. We chased the ideas that had energy, wherever they came from.

But it wasn't just internal. When you're trying to see yourself with clarity, you're best served by trusted outside input.

Working with creative partners like DEEO was critical. They weren't inside the fog with us. They brought outside perspective, challenged assumptions, and helped us see ourselves more clearly than we could from the inside. That reflection was essential.

It reminded me of why I love this work. Strategy isn't about control. It's about clarity, alignment, and fresh thinking, especially when you're too close to the problem to see it cleanly.

It's also why I believe the best client work happens in real partnerships. Not handoffs. Not silos. Shared risk. Shared imagination. Shared ambition.

And it's why I constantly seek out new experiences, new tools, and new collaborators. The moment I stop feeding myself new perspectives is the moment I stop being useful to my clients.

The Site Was the Brand Strategy

This wasn't a brand launch. It was brand discovery.

The site became our testing ground. We figured out who we are, how we speak, what we stand for, and what kind of work we're here to do.

If it looked or sounded like a typical agency, it was cut. If it felt familiar or safe, we looked elsewhere. If it didn't feel precisely like adeo, we didn't pursue those directions.

By the time we launched, we weren't just showing the brand. We had become it.

And that clarity now leads everything we do, from pitch decks to campaigns to client strategy.

What We Built

The final site reflects how adeo works.

It's strategic, cinematic, and alive with motion and voice. It communicates without over-explaining. It invites curiosity and rewards exploration.

It is not for everyone.

Neither are we.

That's intentional.

Why the Webby Matters

Winning the Webby was a powerful moment. Not because we needed validation, but because it confirmed that this different way of working is effective.

We took risks. We trusted the process. We built something that made people stop and pay attention.

More importantly, we built something that shows future clients how we think, how we work, and how we partner with our clients.

And when the right people noticed, they didn't just see a site. They saw a signal - of how we think, what we value, and the kind of bold clarity we bring to every project.

Thinking About Brand Strategy and Activation?

If you're leading a rebrand, launching something with real stakes, or trying to get unstuck, we'd love to talk.

We bring a very particular set of skills.

Let's build something bold →