ANODE
Launched in the second half of 2007, this site was built to promote the multimedia design services of the visual communication studio Anode, in­cluding brand identity, marketing materials and interactive content. “We see a lot of sites where video clips are dropped on the page to support the headline message or body copy,” says creative director Adam Goleniewski. “For our site, we wanted to turn our pages into virtual environ­ments where the video is the message.”

As a full-service design studio, Anode represents different things to different audiences. Some visitors to the site come looking for help with museum and cultural displays. Others are seeking advice on building a new brand or repositioning an old one. Yet another group might want to learn more about Anode’s digital signage platform, FireSign.

Whatever users come looking for, they all want fresh ideas. And as Goleniewski puts it, it’s one thing to tell people you have those fresh ideas; it is quite another to show them. Anode wanted to showcase the large creative spirit of their small design studio. So the entire concept was designed around the firm’s staff and how individuals see the various roles they play for clients. Video vignettes emphasize the power of technology while reminding cli­ents and prospects not to forget the importance of the human interface. “The site is a perfect example of what our team brings to clients,” Goleniewski says, “the right creative, the right strategy and the right technology.”

During the conceptualization process, the Anode team was careful to avoid anything smacking of “trendiness,” anything along the lines of lots of eye candy with little or no context. Design tech­niques come and go every six months, Goleniewski observes, so an important objective was to design a site that would not have to be rebuilt twice a year. “Our marketing manager claims that design studio sites are cliché,” he says. “They are all about telling people how creative and fun the firms are. We believe we created a site that actually shows our passion and our capabilities.”

Feedback has been abundantly positive, validating the idea that being reminded of something relevant is often as impor­tant as learning something new. “This site really reminded us that design is nothing without personality and emotion,” Goleniewski says. “All the correct words and pictures to describe our studio are placed on the website, but it is the emotional connections to the personalities on screen that draw people into the message.” R. Ashby

ANODE | CREATIVE DIRECTOR: ADAM WOJCIECH GOLENIEWSKI | PROGRAMMER: IVAN KANSKI | WWW.ANODE.COM