Interactive Buzz - Jan 25 '08

Interesting digital agency site
I found Collective London's site design and functionality interesting and engaging. Engaging in that each area within the site is completely different. The only constant on each page is the logo + navigation tab. The About Us tab is a novel of copy - but if you mouse over the highlighted words it breaks it down to more precise information. Their People/Jobs area is particularly fun. I like their bios and how they don't take themselves too seriously. And I like how they explain their work - which means I don't have to read anything. Nice. (Click on the Honda UK Car Site - they built some cool features into this)... then visit the actual site.

Widget
Collective London also offers their blog in a widget format... this way, you can get their blog delivered to your phone.

What's a widget (gadget)? A downloadable application that can live on your phone, your web browser or computer desktop. The widget can be developed to do pretty much anything a website can do. For example, there are various "widgets" I can add to my "iGoogle" page - some may include a "slideshow" widget in which I can add photos...or a "Pacman" widget that lives on my iGoogle page and lets me play the game from that screen. On my computer, I have a "clock" and "calendar" and "weather" widget, as well as a "calculater" and "current nearby gas prices" widgets. I used to have a "dog" widget but I forgot to feed it and it died. :(

Think about this as a tool for your clients... do they have information they want to share with their customers? The widgets are easily developed and can be BRANDED with client logos if need be.

Lite Brite
Just because it's fun (and cool functionality)

Interactive Buzz - Jan 11 '08

It's an "agricultural" theme throughout this weeks posting. Enjoy!

BEAUTIFUL Design + Execution
http://www.prospectdenim.com/
Does nice design get you excited? If so, you have to check this out. The large, dynamic picture, accompanied by the subtle, but effective Flash movement & some great background sounds (turn up your volume a bit) is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. When I see really fantastic design + execution, I get a little emotional. This site did it. Click on "Collection" to see how the products are displayed. Fantastic. (Granted, not AS fantastic if you're living in the land of non-high speed, but I'm not certain who their audience is, so I won't judge them.)

Brand-Engaging Entertainment Microsite
Everyone knows how successful Office Max's "Elf Yourself" was this season. This is in the same line. A microsite created for the pure purpose of entertainment from the brand to you. I have to admit, it's VERY VERY well designed and executed and it's FUN. Well, I thought it was as about much fun as someone could have with potatoes. I created this little parade for our AdFarm CD - Glenn. Enjoy.

Engaging and Entertaining Corporate Site
This is the corporate site for McCain Foods. This appears to be an Ag-based blog posting today. It's not quite as fantastic as the potato parade for Glenn, but it's very well executed. Even the little "our process" executed in the Flash headers is pretty entertaining. I like how they got the process across visually so lazy people (like myself) don't have to read about it - we can just watch it. PLUS - who knew that the "best fat for roasting potatoes is goose fat"? Fascinating. A little gross, but fascinating.