WWF SASSI – Website Design & Development

The WWF SASSI website took top honours in the website category at the SA Publication Forum Awards.

“The SASSI site is terrific. It is crisp, engaging, immersive, and deep. It is an immensely informative resource and an excellent gateway to the app, which every ichthyophile (a person who is interested in fish) should have. The design is elegant, showcasing excellent branding and SASSI’s iconic ‘traffic light’ colours. It emphasises clear priorities: using the SASSI list and app, volunteering, and donating. The simple navigation bar has eight categories, making the site easy to explore with duplicated footer categories. The bottom tabs encourage deeper exploration and features like persistent cookie settings, and a ‘top of page’ button promotes environmental awareness. Animated backgrounds add movement while engaging videos such as ‘Fishy Stats’ attract interest. The clear typography, using WWF and Roboto fonts, incorporates well-utilised negative space and aquatic motifs. The content is straightforward, explaining terms like ‘aquaculture’ while incorporating playful language. The site offers comprehensive information, infographics, and downloadable resources, with the kingklip success story illustrating SASSI’s impact. Engagement with industry partners reinforces sustainable seafood availability.”

All sites were judged on the following elements:
Design, User interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Language use, Consistency, Coding, Multimedia and Interactivity, Responsiveness, Budget vs Final Product.

All websites need to be updated over time — the SASSI website was a great example of a platform needing a refresh and upgrade. We love a challenge, so when the WWF approached TEA to assist with the redesign and build of SASSI’s website, we dove in headfirst with our tried-and-tested website development methodology.

The website redesign was driven by a clear priority: increasing awareness about SASSI’s app and conservation-related materials. To achieve this, our web designers and developers undertook a detailed scope-gathering process to fully understand SASSI’s requirements, which they used to create a new sitemap and page wireframes for the user experience blueprint.

Wireframes allow us to agree on content and functionality and then refine User Experience (UX). User Interface (UI) is the design phase where we design each page and element as per the wireframes to ensure the user experience is at the forefront of our decisions — is there a natural flow, and are we answering user intent and solving problems for our users?

Once the wireframes were approved by the SASSI team, we swiftly moved into the design phase. Once the design was approved, our team moved into the web development phase.

Here’s what we achieved overall:

• A brand-aligned website experience: Our remit for the new website was to create an overall design consistent with the existing SASSI brand as well as WWF’s broader design aesthetic. To achieve this subtle balance, our designers consulted existing materials and undertook research during the design concept phase. The result from a design perspective was a resounding success: the website won a design award.
• Refined navigational elements: We designed an intuitive, streamlined menu with clearly defined categories, making it easier for users to find key resources like the SASSI list, app, volunteering opportunities, and donation options.
• Optimised Calls to Action (CTAs): Prominent, visually distinct buttons were strategically placed to encourage app downloads, engagement with conservation materials, and participation in SASSI’s initiatives.
• Increased performance & accessibility: To enhance user experience across all devices, we implemented performance optimisations, including Site Speed Optimisation, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility best practices — functional layout, readable typography, and well-structured content.
• Ongoing management & enhancements: We continue to maintain and develop SASSI’s website, ensuring it remains up-to-date, secure, and optimised for evolving user needs.

The result is a flawless website experience, which won a coveted website design award.

The SASSI team required that we deliver a website reflective of the brand aesthetics of the WWF and the SASSI brands simultaneously. In addition to these website design requirements, we also redesigned the renowned SASSI pocket card for consumers and posters for businesses, which aim to help people and companies avoid eating and catching endangered fish species. We sought to articulate the design elements crafted for the SASSI website in the two print assets, a feat achieved successfully.