Inspiring examples of tactile creative execution

Before computers became useful and the internets invaded our homes, people made things from wood and fabric and paint and sticks. It was messy and sometimes smelly and quite often you’d cut your finger.

What I love about these examples is they demonstrate people going out of their way to use real world materials and knowing when to slow down and consider a different approach. An approach that might seem absurd at the time but could lead to great things.

HunterGatherer makes simply beautiful things. Then they make them appear to move. These guys love their wood grain.

HunterGatherer from Arkitip, Inc. on Vimeo.

Johnny Kelly likes paper a lot. Someone should tell him he could really cut his finger on that.

Making of ‘The Seed’ from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

I’m seriously hoping no interns were harmed in the making of this bit of stop motion animation from THANK YOU in Denmark.

BOOGIE Prisen from THANK YOU on Vimeo.

Here in the studio at Amnesia Razorfish we’ve been known to occasionally step away from the keyboards to create things out of real materials.

Sandor Moldan and Mike Kleinman worked bizarre magic on the previous incarnation of Mountain Dew’s site for Australia. Claymation zombies and bitchslapped rhinos adorned a hand crafted mountain of delights. (The site is no longer live, unfortunately.)

…and more recently Sandor and @eunmac created a wave tank for the background effect in the site we concepted and built for P&O Cruises Australia.

Check out the “making of” here…

@iclazie

5 Amazing and Unique Portfolio Interfaces

There’s a sea of portfolio sites out there. Of the best ones there are many that look great but don’t stray far from the typical interface design frameworks and information architecture.

Here’s a collection of five seriously impressive efforts to innovate, take chances, do something unique, delight and surprise… Great stuff.

1. Wonderwall Inc. – www.wonder-wall.com

This Japanese interior design firm presents their work via a sproingy, elastic, 3D, slightly off the grid mosaic interface. It’s just fun to play with and tightly executed. It’s not a facade, either – the transitions and detail views are well thought through.

2. Resn - www.resn.co.nz

Not a new site, but if this New Zealand based creative agency ever changes their portfolio I look forward to seeing how they plan to improve on it. The imagination behind the navigation rollover effects and the presentation of the work in the portfolio section are inspiring. Use of full bleed background imagery and subtle audio really surround the visitor. Great balance of creativity and usability.

3. thetoke - www.thetoke.com

Slick, clean, technical. Slightly ambiguous concept around the identity and the intro, but it all makes for good eye candy. Play with the viewing modes in the top right hand corner to see cool applications of 3D in Flash.

4. bio-bak - www.bio-bak.nl

Wow. Also been around a while but something truly bizarre. It’s a game. The object is to find the site’s navigation. This site has balls. And they’re hairy and badly drawn.

5. Futuretainment – www.futuretainment.com

Ok, so it’s a book launch, not a portfolio, but it’s classic Frost and fits beautifully with the others for a range of inspiration on how to simultaneously provide a stage and set a tone.

Enjoy!

@iclazie

Agency website lives in YouTube

BooneOakley has created something truly special with animation and interactive video: their entire website lives in YouTube.

I like it.

The Beautiful Word: stunning Scrabble videos

Pretty amazing creative from Ogilvy & Mather, France, using animation from Wizz. Nice work and pretty eye opening when attached to, of all things… Scrabble.

Makes www.scrabble.com look pretty ordinary.

More videos and full credits here on Motionographer.

Amnesia Razorfish explores gestural interfaces with Surface

In what’s just the very tip of a potentially massive iceberg, AR has prototyped an interactive staff directory for the Microsoft Surface table platform.

Watch the video on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/3384040

See video of other Surface applications that have been developed by the various Razorfish offices.

Latest from Jib Jab: Time for Some Campaingin’

Many find the political landscape in the lead up to a US presidential election confusing. This short animated demonstration should help.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/1191/time_for_some_campaignin

Catapult your cares away

Loving this very fresh take on a financial services message. Unreal. Great synthesis of lots of Flash tricks well integrated (parallax, ragdolls, animation over static images to create a film effect…). So good.

www.letyourworriesgo.com

Play Pong with people – Nokia Get Out And Play

Cool video integration in this Nokia campaign from Farfar in Sweden.

www.get-out-and-play.com

Check out the “making of” video in the footer. Shows the thought behind a 1000 people strong live “snake”.

Radiohead ‘In Rainbows’ animated music video contest

aniBoom invites animators to submit videos put to any track from Radiohead’s In Rainbows. Radiohead will pick the winners. Prizes and glory to be had.

Entries can be submitted up until 8 June with the grand winner announced 30 June.

Info and entry here…