Best Annual Map Of The Web! Now, Just Find The Time…

While we all wish we could just troll the web to check out the coolest sites, the most exhilarating use of technology, or the most elegant online animation, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Even with those hours, it would be hard to find what is really cool and not just what has the most money going toward promotion of those online elements. So, there still aren’t enough hours in the day, but we’ve come to the time where everyone has a guide – The Webby Award Nominees… Again, it will take a very long time to get through everything, but at least there’s the semblance of a map of the web and some of this past year’s strongest offerings.

The site itself could possibly put itself up for an award. With smooth movement and simple voting mechanisms, it’s easy – though I sometimes wish it had a more elegant solution to jump in and out of details, live sites, voting and more.

As we’re constantly working to output product ourselves, there never is enough of a chance to see what else what’s out there – especially in other verticals. Without a set determination or rule of who gets to develop better experiences on the web – remember back in the day when Auto sites and porn subscriptions were at the vanguard of web development – you’re losing ground if you’re only checking out what your competitors have published. Events/sites like the Webbys remove any excuses for that research.

Remember, these are awards, so electioneering definitely plays a part.  Some offerings may not be there while others with deeper pockets and promotions teams are.  But, for the most part, everything that we’ve seen major buzz for throughout the year is in there to provide credence to these being the best of the year.

There used to be less categories for easier reviewing – but just like the web, there’s so many permutations of content that call for more categories. If you were to consider all of the entries in every category and vote on them, I imagine you would derive a lot of pride and deeper understanding of what’s out there.  I’ll just be happy if I can get through half of it.

What excites me the most are sites that convey its purpose – marketing, news, commerce – in an elegant way. For me, that means I check out the Arts and Entertainment categories first. And with that, I fell in love with MOMA’s site on the Century of the Child. I really feel that the way users can move from one part to another fluidly is the way everything should be moving, and the content is extremely fun regardless of interface.

The showcase of products by category also illuminates how some things stay similar to how they’ve always been (check the two Disney films with almost identical navigation to what is usually seen for Disney titles and the beautiful BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD site that has long downloads for beautiful pictures but very little content.) The cool thing is finding the specific nuances that tweak typical offerings in just the right way.

Ultimately, the voting part takes away from what I like the most about the annual announcement of the nominees – the exploration.  Spending time to figure out what is best when there are so many differences even within same category nominees seems to diminish what we can truly get out of this. There is just so much to see in sites, advertising, video and more.

With that being said, I’m stopping this entry that went longer than I hoped for so that I can jump back to my map of the web and continue exploring – there’s not much time…

Coachella Fix Served by YouTube and State Farm

There is the saying that nothing beats the real thing, but sometimes what you have to settle for ain’t to shabby. This was the case with the Coachella Live site on YouTube. For those who were not lucky enough to get tickets nor able enough to take off for a weekend of all the crazy things that happen over the course of the weekend on a Polo field, this presentation sponsored by State Farm insurance was fantastic.  Sporting three live streams on a dashboard that included thumbnails of what you’re not watching, Facebook/Twitter/Google+ and a schedule of what’s to come, there was no lack of exploration and enjoyment possible. YouTube really showcased a phenomenal product and Coachella was able to serve the fix of a much larger audience to celebrate the music exploration and wonder that is Coachella.

There were a number of elements that really made this content great:

• The interface was simple, clean and clear;
• The production quality was strong throughout. The on-site direction and coverage was comprehensive and, in some instances, rivaled that of a well produced concert video.
• The streaming quality was better than I had expected. In most cases, both the small and full screen versions were very clear. Sometimes, the images were getting pixellated, but there was no rhyme or reason that I could make out. When the image quality was good, it was great and when it wasn’t, it wasn’t that bad.
• The sound quality was clear and consistent throughout – even when the picture was not.
• The Chat was extremely active with very little delay.  Unlike previous versions of this type of thing that I’ve seen, you could see songs, comments or lyrics presented on stage referenced almost immediately in the feed. The fact that three major social networks were incorporated  for ease of entry and use seems like a no-brainer. It’s surprising how many feeds choose not to use more than Facebook and Twitter…
• State Farm’s sponsorship was persistent, tasteful and refined while not interfering with the content.  Meaning, they didn’t pause sets to show a graphic in-stream - or some other annoying ad mechanic.

Though there was mention of the live streaming on YouTube and the Coachella site, I didn’t see any wide mentions or promotion for the feature.  Perhaps I missed it and imagine there could have been some artist relationship elements to consider.  Ultimately, the people who were most interested were able to find it – either by searching it out or finding it organically through friends’ social activity.

Talking about artists relations, I was impressed that the artists allowed it – and even more impressed about some of the artists that participated. With the point of the weekend(s) being music and the exploration of new music, the site makes perfect sense.  I was able to check out a solid mix of acts I knew and had even seen live before with a healthy dose of new acts.  I know that the experience is not the same as being there, but I am sure that Coachella Live viewers were able to jump from stage to stage much more quickly and easily than anyone who was physically there. The fact that I could jump from a great view of Miike Snow to the pit of Radiohead without leaving my chair was awesome.

On a personal note, My commute home after Radiohead’s late set on Saturday and Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg’s star-studded show to close it all on Sunday night was much more comfortable than driving home from Indio.  And, the fact that I already have State Farm insurance made me feel that I wasn’t just being a freeloader – I might even feel a little bit more loyalty to them because of it.

Hopefully, this becomes a trend for more live events as it really extends the community and the technology has come about to enable that like never before. The technology upgrades has made the experience drastically different from when I spent hours in front of the television watching Live Aid as a kid.  Who would have thought then that we could control what we were watching without having to suffer through commercials and annoying MTV VJ commentary?

Props to Coachella and its partners for taking the festival to the next level by making the experience extend beyond the 180,000 people who actually get to go to the two weekends in the desert.  The fact that YouTube is now hosting some of the full sets, it really extends beyond the desert. And, you get a chance to see some freaky cool things like the holographic Tupac performing. Thanks for providing the opportunity for many more people in many countries to get their fix…

The Well-Designed Signs of Exploration and Innovation

Throughout London last week and through the weekend, red and yellow signs were standing outside of stores, galleries, warehouses and even construction sites.  The signs were confirmations that you correctly read the map while following the London Design Festival or the ICON Design Trail guides.  There are not many chances one has to walk “aimlessly” through a city and catch so much design, sights and inspiration, and in its 9th year of existence, the London Design Festival is truly one of those gems.

Where arts or culture festivals oft-times go wrong in not allowing broader participation by presenters or visitors or trying to keep the events too centralized, this festival truly captured the breadth of the design community – ranging from the institutions like the Victoria & Albert Museum, to the design retail establishment like Conran’s Shop and, fortunately, to the various pop-up groups that appeared sometimes in sub-basements with only one of those red or yellow signs to signify that the location is even there.  Some of the most fascinating, or memorable, items were discovered in those “found” locations.  Another welcome byproduct of spreading it out is that hundreds of thousands of visitors can work there way through without much clutter.

While the V&A was the the official hub of the festival, the more compelling “counter-hub” was placed on the East side at TENT London.  Where I ended my festival experience there during last year’s festival, I began it there this time.  The existence of this other major location fits nicely with the seeming concept that the city is in it together – as seen by the fact that each location had two signs and also two books to track the locations.  There was both the official design festival book and the ICON Design Trail book that was published by the design magazine, ICON.  What that alternate source provided was a different perspective on the festivities that was a little hipper and more welcoming of a crowd that might not have otherwise cared.

Of course, if the design talent was not prevalent in the city, this festival would be weak.  After spending just a few minutes on the trail, or more specifically within TENT, it is clear that there is far too much good stuff to be able to take in properly.  While it could be as daunting as attending an auto show or even Comic-Con, it is much more rewarding – especially due to the sheer sense of discovery.  All forms and executions of design were represented and there was surprisingly little duplication. As suggested before, there were many places you might not have thought to go before nor were allowed to see, that was reward enough for traversing the city.  On of those places was in the Southwest Tower at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Architect, John Pawson, teamed with Swarofsky for an installation called “Perspectives.”  It was a rare chance for people to even visit within the towers with the dramatic spiral staircases.  Photos were not allowed, but I was able to sneak this one to give an idea, though it in no way captures how cool it was…

There were a couple of specifics that were quirky or worth noting for the festival:

• The City subsidized a large portion of the festival and much of that went to large public installations.  The benefit of those being all over the city enabled more people to be drawn in.  No matter what part of town you were in, there were opportunities to participate.
• While many galleries and institutions participated, it was interesting that the Tate Modern didn’t even have a show going.  It was a missed opportunity of sorts.
• In something I’ve never seen before, Designersblock ran an auction where every part of the auction from the gavel to the lighting was auctioned off.  But, you couldn’t give money for it.  Everything was bid on with barter.  The artists would then decide what they wanted.  I could not make it to the auction, so I put a nice bid in for Paul Bishop’s Made In China set.  Unfortunately, I lost to someone who was there…
• There were some locations that left me wondering whether they would have been able to get approval from a US city to be able to exhibit as the footing in some was sketchy at best with broken tile, minimal headroom, weird scaffolding and other sundry challenges that effectively added to the fun.
• At the V&A, there was a grand hall that was filled with a synthetic meadow made of cushioned fabric panels.  The lights were low, people were hanging out and kids were frolicking all around.  It was a little bizarre to have something of this scale in a space like this.  I walked across it and snapped some pictures.  When I had walked across the easily 50 meter pitch and was walking out the door, a security guy came up and told me I was an idiot for not realizing that we were supposed to take off our shoes to experience it.  It was funny only because he was telling me so long after I was already off of it.  And when I checked, there weren’t a lot of shoes on the sides, there were no signs and it was so dark, it wasn’t even clear that people weren’t wearing shoes.
• There really were no instances of misguided employees, volunteers or visitors.  It was surprising how simple and clear everything was.  If there was anything that was a drag, it was the POWER OF MAKING exhibit at the V&A.  The exhibit layout was such that it had no easy flow and was claustrophobic.  perhaps they never thought they would get that many people to go through it.  It’s too bad as it seemed like it could have been interesting if there were a chance to read everything.
• One of the coolest exhibits in a weird place was ARCO OKAY.  The site doesn’t really do justice to the whole vibe and interplay with some of the pieces, but it was one of the highlights.

It was certainly a festival that was packed with opportunity to explore and be inspired.  Definitely something I’m eager to repeat in the future.

Sometimes, Its By Accident

With all of the ways in which to consume media and information, it is often refreshing to run into something of interest by accident.  This morning was just one of those times.  In a bizarre chain of events that led me to place my toddler daughter on my lap to watch the Beastie Boys INTERGALACTIC music video on youtube, we came across a listing for the OK Go Muppet Show Theme Song video with the Muppets that was just posted yesterday.

My daughter was attracted to the image of Kermit and I was attracted to the fact that OK Go always produces great videos.  The video is fun – with allusions to past OK Go videos and key elements of the Muppet Show.  There are so many inside jokes and references that I didn’t mind it when I was forced to watch it three times.

The video was presented with a VEVO skin that showed some of the Muppet characters in a Obey-type format with the link below it to check out the green album. 

Curiosity got the better of me – after she went off to begin her day – as I clicked that link to get to a site about the Green Album as I knew there was a movie coming out and figured it was something related.  But I didn’t understand why the film was not called out in the artwork.  it certainly seemed like a lot of Muppet representation for what seemed at initial sight to be an OK Go release.

I was definitely wrong about it just being OK Go.  It’s an entire cover album of so many of the beloved songs.  There was a track listing – and more importantly to me, a link to a movie site.

The movie site showed a couple of trailers, including one named THE FUZZY PACK.  The reason this stands out is that it really speaks to the sweet spot demographic that grew up as fans of the original Muppet movies and THE MUPPET SHOW.  The style absolutely plays to that audience and adds an alternate twist to the brand without demeaning it.  They used smart editing to create a lot with a little.  it was a much better manipulation of brand than what other well known brands for the same target generation – where a certain dark lord is made to look foolish in the attempt to attract a broader audience.

This Muppets effort is compelling for a number of reasons:

• It didn’t dumb down  or alter the brand to try to broaden an audience – it was true to its core with the belief that the audience is smart enough to get it – both the aged fans and the new ones.
• Whereas many campaigns would hammer film release dates down our throats with any anciliary release, this experience left that up to discovery.  They relied on the hook of the initial entry point to lead the user down a path to the end.  With a brand like this and the audience they were going for with the initial music video, anyone who wouldn’t want to find more wouldn’t have been affected by the release date if it was plastered on that VEVO skin to begin with.
• The style and taste of every component was consistent – even with the elements being presented as part of the record label and the studio.  There was a sense of self-parody from the frames of the first music video through to the last frame in the last trailer on the movie page that calls out that it is yet another parody.  From before Kermit appeared in an underwear parody of Marky Mark, Pardoy has been a driving force in the Muppet universe.

It certainly was an accident that I cam across the music video in the first place – some would say that it had to do with Disney’s placement.  I would say that it was their placement that helped me find it and enabled me to explore more. 

Much of what happens online and in the digital space is by accident.  It’s up to the good marketers to set themselves up in a position to take advantage of those accidents.