I haven't had much time to go surfing for new and interesting stuff on the Web recently. But with a couple of big Web projects coming up I had to make time to do a little research. The sites highlighted offer a combination of creative thinking and information you can use in your job right now.
In the category of "things I haven't seen done before" is
Project Rebirth. This site is all about the rebirth of Ground Zero.
When you first land on the homepage it looks similar to many sites. The navigation is stripped across the top and there features below such as interviews, news stories, video, and live webcams.
However, the really cool thing about this site is revealed when you click on the "explore the timeline" button in the header.
Like a secret drawer, an elegant map of the area slides open pushing the homepage down below. As you explore the timeline you can click on various dates, starting with March 2002, and see time lapse video that was recorded by the webcams.
The homepage is always accessible on the screen. With a click of the logo, the graphic can be slid back, restoring the homepage to its original position.
Target Audience
Linked from InteractiveNarratives.org is a BBC site called Excess All Areas.
This interactive project targets a younger demographic and demonstrates the common effects of drugs on the human body.
Click on any of the drugs listed and see how it affects the clubgoer in the video. Click on the target spots and get a description of how drugs affect the brain or the heart.
The reason I found this site interesting is that it is a different form of storytelling with a specific audience in mind. Everything about the site, the neon words, the music, the flashing lights and the dark setting, make a connection with the viewer.
ABCNews.com Redesign
Last October,
ABC News launched a new site design. Gone is the heavy blue look of the past four years. It's not that the new design is bad, it's fine. It just suffers the chronic blandness that many news sites do. The blandness is arguably a byproduct of database backend systems designed to make life easier for the people who provide the content.
The formulaic design of news sites over the past few years may take away some of the visual appeal, but average readers probably don't care. They just want to find what they're looking for.
The reason I highlight this site is because of an article on DesignInteract.com that walks you through the process of the redesign. It's a good look behind the scenes.
Check out these other stories about the redesign:
A Great Designers Resource
I am particularly excited about a site called
Designers Toolbox. It has all kinds of resources for print and online designers, and it has a text generator for lorem ipsum -- the dummy text commonly used in place of a story.
The generator lets you specify how many words or paragraphs you need. It also allows you to create bulleted or plain lists. It's a great tool when you're waiting for a story or prototyping a publication.
Keeping the creative side of our brains fresh isn't always easy. Learning how other designers approached a project often helps us keep a fresh perspective on our own work.
