Memorial to the Flash Era
Background
In 2010, Apple stopped supporting Flash on its devices, marking the end of an era for designers and developers. Despite its flaws, Flash had been the dominant tool for creating imaginative, interactive digital experiences. I still recall the excitement of seeing Flash’s masterful use in HBO’s Voyeur and the Donnie Darko websites.
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Nick Law, former Global Chief Creative Officer at R/GA, perfectly captures the spirit of Flash: “Flash was the first design language that felt uniquely interactive. Everyone was mesmerized by Jakob Nielsen’s strict rules. When Flash came along, it shattered conventions and drew real creative talent to the Web.”*
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Though interactive design evolves quickly, the lessons we learned from Flash shouldn't be forgotten. Lately, I’ve noticed many code-based designs echoing old Flash experiences. Especially with the advances in immersive interaction within the gaming industry, I’m reminded that great design is timeless and always inspiring.
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*Pathak, Shareen, ‘We should have a memorial’: Web creatives mourn Flash, Digiday, December 3, 2015.
Garia: Designing Customizable Golf Cart App
Agency: Vertic
FWA Award - Site of the Day
Our goal was to introduce Garia, a luxury European golf cart brand, to the American market and make a lasting first impression that would attract new clients.
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To achieve this, we designed a new website that highlighted the luxury and quality of the brand while offering intuitive customization tools. We launched a campaign encouraging users to submit their own custom designs for a chance to win a free golf cart. The site was well received in market testing and earned an FWA Award for its exceptional user experience.
Kodak: Creating Immersive Product Storytelling
Agency: Vertic
Kodak tasked us with creating a digital campaign to showcase their new camera with a social networking sharing feature, as they faced increasing competition from smartphones.
To highlight this feature, we developed a product story using Facebook Connect, allowing users to instantly share photos with friends. The campaign featured imaginative stories where ordinary people became "heroes," saving time by skipping the hassle of photo downloads thanks to the camera's instant sharing capabilities.
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Ben & Jerry's: Modernizing the Brand Experience
Agency: Razorfish
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With Ben & Jerry's we sought to modernize their corporate website to boost user engagement and brand awareness. We introduced features like an instant chat tool with an Office Manager avatar and a "Mooderator" that changed background imagery to delight users. We also designed fun graphic navigations and whimsical animations to encourage users to explore and interact with the rich content.
Chanel: Designing Luxurius Shopping Experience
Agency: Razorfish
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Chanel wanted to modernize their outdated e-commerce site and integrate their rich content to enhance user engagement and drive purchases.
We proposed adding features like interactive tools for color and texture selection and integrating brand story videos on product pages. However, we didn’t win the project. Reflecting on it, our approach was focused on creating an immersive brand experience, rather than prioritizing simple features that could directly improve the shopping experience and boost revenue.
