ESI DESIGN | www.whitney.org/biennial2006/projects/tower
Mark di Suvero originally constructed his Peace Tower in 1966 to protest the Vietnam War. The multicolored steel structure rose 60 ft. into the L.A. sky and hundreds of 2-ft.-square works of art lined the billboard-wall around it. For the 2006 Whitney Biennial, di Suvero collaborated with Rikrit Tiravanija, a younger but like-minded artist, in reconceiving the tower. Approximately 300 artists, including those involved in the original effort, were invited to contribute new 2-ft.-square panels to hang on the walls of the well and on the tower itself.

A companion to the installation, the website was never intended to replace the experience of seeing the real thing—but in some ways it actually offers more. Visitors to the site can get a good look at each panel of art on the tower, whereas in person some panels are less accessible than others. “The tower installation inspired our design,” says interactive designer Dorey Edinger of ESI Design. “The main interface in particular used the panel architecture as a design element.” The ESI team also added an interactive function to the site, allowing people to explore the installation in depth and contribute thoughts and comments about it in a public forum.
Dana Rouse

WALL-TO-WALL STUDIOS | www.bw.edu/bethat
Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, wanted to create an interactive, virtual tour to feature its distinctive Action Plan, a personalized strategy each student will embrace to become the person he or she wants to become, while getting the most out of the college experience. “Be That” is the site’s lure, whatever “that” may be: You choose the “that” and Baldwin-Wallace College will help you to become it.

Visitors to the site meet four current students who act as guides and mentors of sorts, sharing how the Action Plan facilitated their own experiences. “In addition to creating the name and visual identity for the program, Wall-to-Wall wrote, produced and directed the student interviews and executed all Flash animations,” says creative director Larkin Werner. “At least in the higher education category,” he says, “something that is virtual in nature and downplays the hard admissions sell is unusual.” The school’s excitement during the design process made it a pleasure to work with, particularly because of the trust placed in the design team. Infusing the site with a playful aspect, the team took a fairly dramatic leap in how it chose to showcase the college brand identity and communicate with students—both prospective and current—online.
Romy Ashby

LOWERCASE | www.paulelledge.com
Crawling with enchanting little drawings, this site might be one of Kandinsky’s notebooks, but it’s not. It’s the online portfolio of photographer Paul Elledge. “The site is a little look into a creative mind,” explains its designer, Tim Bruce.

“We drew inspiration from Paul’s photography,” he says of the highly creative site, but much of its style comes from a particular habit. “Travel with him,” says Bruce, “and you notice he’s a doodler.” Elledge doodles wherever he has a pen and a surface—on paper and all over his photography cases. “Stop by his studio,” Bruce goes on, “and you’ll notice that the drawing goes beyond the travel gear to light switches and walls. We looked to extend this experience onto the web.” As for Elledge, he wanted to update his site functionally, but he also wanted it to reflect his diverse photographic range. He wanted to be able to go in and easily tweak his galleries. And he wanted, of course, to doodle all over it. “The closer we got to communicating Paul’s point of view,” says Bruce, “the more original it is. Paul chose this direction by instinct, and the final site is hardly distinguishable from the initial sketches.”
Romy Ashby

HORTON LANTZ & LOW | www.flipstart.com
Paul Allen’s FlipStart Labs has come up with a super-compact PC that can do anything a laptop can. To see it is to want it—and it’s only being sold online.

Art director/designer Jeff DeRoshia was tasked with giving people a way to explore the device in a dynamic 3D environment. Visitors to the website can virtually “handle” the product, discovering its capabilities through a seamless blend of video and 3D animation. “We constructed 3D renderings from the product’s CAD files, utilized green-screen video and shot a good deal of photography,” says DeRoshia, “all of which is housed in a fully scalable Flash environment.” One hurdle was shooting a hands-on video demonstration so it would appear natural and fluid while avoiding reflections and image shifts. “To solve this challenge, we developed a ball-and-socket joint that anchored the device while shooting,” DeRoshia says, “giving it a free range of motion and real-life feel without excessive hand shake.” The playful, upbeat tone of the site, along with its confident minimalism, justly summarizes the team’s collective approach. “We learned a ton in the process, and rediscovered the power of simplicity,” says DeRoshia. “The best ideas are always the most straightforward and elegantly simple.”
Romy Ashby

INERGY GROUP | www.arisgraphics.com
Clarity, organization of information and simple navigation contribute to the distinctive crispness of the Aris Graphics site. Aris came to Inergy Group seeking a balanced approach to selling its four areas of expertise, says Inergy creative director and principal Kurt Gibson. Those four points are presented up front in a no-nonsense format: Point-of-sale (“What’s your latest brand-building idea for turning shoppers into buyers?”); Collateral (“Who’ll watch every image-enhancing detail of your corporate collateral, from annual reports to employee benefits communications?”); Premiums (“Need an impossible, eye-popping, one-of-a-kind business builder?”); Consulting (“Want to drive efficiencies? Cut costs? Avoid headaches?”). All of those questions are duly answered and substantiated by big-name clients who regularly work with Aris Graphics. HTML, CSS and Flash were the building blocks of the site’s creation, while all photography was done in-house.

“Being able to create a partnership with the client to simplify the key message points in order to streamline the user experience,” Gibson answers when asked for the most enjoyable aspect of this project. For the client, he adds, “It’s a great success for the sales force to be able to direct potential clients to their website to fulfill online validation of who Aris Graphics is.”
Dana Rouse