“In today’s increasingly digital world, the experience is the message.” Razorfish’s Group Vice President of Experience Planning Garrick Schmitt (@gschmitt) introduces the 2009 FEED Report, a concise and invaluable output of leading edge digital consumer research.

Topics include:

• Digital Brand Experiences Create Customers
• Actions Speak Louder Than Advertising
• Digital Fluency
• The Language of Love for Brands? Deals.
• Measuring Brand Engagement

…and more.

“This report is probably the best analysis of online consumer behavior” according to Guy Kawasaki.

Check out the blog:
http://feed.razorfish.com/

Download the report:
http://feed.razorfish.com/downloads/Razorfish_FEED09.pdf

If you want to tweet about the report, use the hashtag #FEED09.

@iclazie

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

Congratulations to the Mule team for collecting this award last Friday!

http://www.itstartedwithamule.com/ 

And hats off to Soap for taking first.

@iclazie

Created by DensityDesign, this impressive piece of info-cartography takes a while to digest but is worth a look if you’re into this sort of thing.

• Learn more:
  http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/
• Hires version for download: http://www.flickr.com/photos/densitydesign/3975416561/
• The sketch that the final piece is based on:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/densitydesign/3976187364/in/photostream/

Wonder if this belongs on Strange Maps? :-)

Also makes me think of the iA Web Trends Map:

@iclazie

This TV ad for Bing implies vampires are fans Amnesiafish Jeremy’s photo contest winning lightning shot.

Nice one, Jeremy! You’re a big hit with the undead.

@iclazie

If you haven’t checked out the Milkquarious rock opera yet and you’re into bizarre milk-oriented retro glam rock psychedelic warfare with unicorn pegasus cows, you should have a look and listen: www.milkquarious.com

The Milkquarious experience includes:

• A lengthy but entertaining rock opera of high tongue in cheek production quality
• Possibly more entertaining running commentary in an optional audio channel
• A competition for students to remake scenes from the movie
• Helpful tips for the students from the creators
• A beat machine just for kicks

All in all a very impressive effort from Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Hi-ReS!

Extending the rock opera into a competition is a great idea. Have a look at the YouTube channel to see what it’s all about. Here’s the lowdown from White Gold himself:

Finally, some more screens from the movie for extra milky flavour…

Enter the battle for Milkquarious…

@iclazie

HT @imgc

Designing to a theme is an effective way of innovating in visual design. Two examples of this from Amnesia Razorfish’s portfolio are Smirnoff Mule (1940’s film noir murder mystery)…

…and ninemsn’s Friend Magnet (mid 20th century carnival fun house).

Senior Art Director Toby lead the charge to bring these two visual themes to life for our clients.

With that in mind, here’s a theme I like found on Behance: The Rolling Stones on vacation in Cuba in the early 70’s.

Why not?

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/What-Comes-Around-Goes-Around-Print-Collateral/308426

@iclazie

To promote it’s Bodywear line, PUMA brings us a stock market ticker with a difference. Models stripping as the market goes down. The more we recess, the more it will digress. The lower the market value, the lower the morals.

I’ll stop now.

Comes in the form of an actual working application. Show a PUMA Sales Associate that you’ve got it installed and you receive 20% off your next purchase.

Pretty cheeky.

@iclazie

HT @marktsen

Two of my favourite things are niche blogs and maps. Combine the two and you have Strange Maps.

If this kind of cartographical madness floats your boat, have a look…

Literary map of San Francisco

Allegorical map to “success” (I remember this from a print on someone’s wall from my childhood – thanks for the bizarre blast from the past, Strange Maps!)

…and this relic from the White Australia era which depicts a racist view of Asian immigrants. Strange map!

Enjoy: http://strangemaps.wordpress.com

@iclazie

HT @dankrause

Recently had the pleasure of driving through Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA. On the way to the well known Old Faithful checked out the much lesser known Fountain Paint Pots. Amazing.

Picture several hissing, steaming, bubbling, sploshing pockets of earth spread over an area the size of a football field. Each one unique. Some with spouting geysers, some with goopy grey mud.

Personal favourite: the Celestine Pool which is every bit as colourful as this pic nabbed off Flickr if not more so…

That’s a deep pool filled with very hot crystal clear water. The colours are intense and alien.

Why is there so much geo thermal activity in Yellowstone? Because nearly the entire park sits in a caldera. The earth’s magma rises near the surface which creates steam which powers the geysers. Or something like that.

If you’re into doomsday scenarios you can read about how one day the entire park might turn into a super volcano which could potentially have an extinction level effect.

And it could happen tomorrow. :-|

For now, enjoy the pictures…

@iclazie