Flash Website
Client brief. In 2008, we wanted to produce a creative website primarily aimed at our existing, long-standing client base that would showcase our sophisticated design and programming abilities.
Our solution. With a brief to appeal mainly to our existing client base, we were freed from a lot of traditional restrictions in how we approached the design and build of our site. Because the site would be promoted in specific pre-defined methods, SEO was not a primary consideration, allowing us to promote our skills set with a flash-based format.
With the technological parameters defined, we then needed to consider how we could use the design to strike the perfect balance between playful and corporate branding whilst ensuring that the designs reflected who we are as a company. We have always taken pride in our eye for detail, and as graphic designers we naturally have a strong connection to all things visual, it was only right then, that we began to explore the use of eyes as a theme.
Playfully, the site opens with our logo at the very centre, from here; eyes emerge and hungrily begin to search their environment, a subtle metaphor for our appetite for creative design. The cleanness of the page, contrasted with the eyes, encourages the users that there is more to learn from further investigation of the site, something that is confirmed by the rollovers of the primary navigation points at the top of the page.
Gentle differences in the way the eyes behave as they frame sleek, clean information boxes serve as a teaser to encourage users to go further, into our featured projects where we take the interaction and user experience to the next level.
The eyes that initially grabbed the attention of the user when the site first opens once again come to the foreground. With no information box, the user is forced to interact with the page, learning quickly that the eyes have a mind of their own, and act as a gateway into a selection of our recent work, all supported by succinct, informative text.
The website was a huge success and heralded a new era of animated projects.
"The flash website for gm-design was a project that I thought represented the quality and values of the company beautifully.
The eyes were a symbol of our exceptional attention to detail, the way they moved was always inquisitive, smooth and sometimes direct as they tracked the mouse. We wanted a variety of people to get a different impression of the site, those who were advanced programmers would appreciate the high-end physics applied to the animation and fluid motion as the eyes occupied their space and to the general user it would seem like an exploration, an experiment, with a learning curve through a cute journey to viewing our content on the way, it was sophisticated in every sense of the word but also an enjoyable fun experience and a pleasure to work on."
Mark Mirko
Creative Director - gm-design LTD
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