Australia Post

Australia’s first CMS-driven site.
And probably the first large-scale design system.

The internet looked very different in 1998 and Australia Post was already getting onboard.

From 1998 to 2001 I was responsible for the design of the Australia Post website at Web Design Group (WDG). This was one of Australia’s earliest enterprise-scale design undertakings and as a young designer I was excited to be leading the creative.

The site contained over 1000 pages, 15+ business units and was the first of its kind to be data-driven by a custom-made content management system (CMS).

I worked with stakeholders at Post, developers in-house and our client team over several months to scope, design and build the site. I maintained the site for a few years, designing mini-sites and speciality ‘pop-up’ sites.

The site provided a suite of functions that earlier were only available at post offices. It allowed you to search for a postcode, estimate the cost of sending a package and even vote for who should appear on a stamp.

Drawing inspiration from way-finding systems, the aesthetic is simple and reminiscent of an airport or train station. Arrows feature throughout and the typography is clear and the text concise. I introduced a color-coding system so users could associate areas with colour. Common ‘global’ elements were decided, and a template framework established.

Over several months we built a flexible template framework and rolled out mini-sites before populating and testing it before launch.

The site was launched mid-1998 and was live for 6+ years. Twenty years later, the design still stands up as a clean and simple solution to an ever-growing public favourite.

Minisite - 'Letters from our heart'

A small minisite built around selected letters at particular points in time, the convict settlment and the first world war through to Gough Witlams Prime Ministership. Published in 2000 in conjunction with The Australian.

Minisite - ‘POST Museum’

Designed to display the deep history of Australia Post.