The Gap in the Sound of Color

The Sound of Color is a collaborative project launched by Gap. 5 colors, 5 musicians, 5 directors. Colors for inspiration, music for emotions, and videos to suggest a visual representation of such feelings.

It's a very interesting and inspiring project. However, in my opinion, the website, and by website I mean the way the project is communicated online, lacks of passion and inspiration. It's a one way show, you watch what the artists have produced but you cannot add your piece and your point of you to the representation of colors. I don't want to force UGC in all online projects, but I feel that here Gap missed a valuable opportunity to interact with its target.

The agency behind the idea is Rehab.

Interactive baseball the Japanese way

As it usually happens when I post about Japanese websites, I have no idea of the reason why they did it, I guess just for self-promotion, considering that the only brand name on the site is the one of the agency (Bascule, the same that did Axe Busters some time ago).

Is it an advergame? Probably... For sure it's a weird visual experience about baseball, with a good art direction and remarkable usability, a characteristic that makes it quite easy to find the way around and play.

Adobe's cards without a soul

Adobe is online with a new, impressive website, launched to promote its Creative Suite 3. Everything starts with a card. Move the scroll bar at the bottom to unveil a world of amazing animations created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Mike Kellog.

You can tell they really wanted to impress designers. Copy is practically non-existent...

You know I'm the devil's advocate, but to be sincere I would have l enjoyed a bit of text and, in general some information to put the story in context. As it is now, I feel the experience is great but incomplete. I understand I'm not the target for this product (probably designers are more for a "show, don't tell" approach) but still, I think they could have done something more than a lovely animation exercise.

What do you think?

via Cpluv.

Office for Mac: Simplify your work

I'm surprised Microsoft has worked on a new version of Office for Mac, and I'm even more surprised by the nice site they've launched to promote the new software. "Simplify your work" explains the product characteristics with lovely animations and a touch of sweetness I wouldn't have expected from Microsoft.

The agencies behind the site are McCann SF & Firstborn.

via Cpluv.

Old School Virals Return

In a return to old school virals ActionAid UK, have launched a viral campaign that allows their supporters to digitally dress up and make their own animation. It is designed to drive sign-ups to the ActionAid WhoPays? campaign, which is looking to put pressure on the government for tighter regulation of how UK supermarkets deal with producers in developing countries.

The viral, featuring comedians Bill Bailey and Katy Brand, encourages people to get involved by uploading a photo of themselves, and dressing up as a banana, cashew nut or pear for a fight (in the style of their choice) with some supermarket trollies!

The activity was conceived by digital creative agency Nonsense

The history of the heart

The Heart exhibition at the Wellcome Collection explores the medical and cultural significance of the heart. Featuring exhibits from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Leonardo da Vinci and Andy Warhol, through to live heart surgery.

Interesting to discover such an interactive site to promote an exhibition. Curious to find medical information approached in such a way. It's not really the kind of content I'll be willing to discover (I'm too easily impressionable), but I definitely appreciate the effort of making science and medicine accessible.

The agency behind the site is Unit9.

Leica's love stories

Scholz & Volkmer has launched an interesting website for Leica, the legendary compact camera brand that is currently trying to reposition itself and earn back the success of the past.

Classical music, romance and a touch of mystery are the ingredients the agency decided to use to present the new Leica set of cameras. Three episodes are visually narrated through the eyes (and the camera) of a boy, a man and a woman. The stories stay the same, what changes is the perspective from which they are told.

To be totally sincere, the site is nothing special nor innovative, but it's aesthetically pleasant. What I like about it is the branding exercise, the use of music and images to picture a brand which is trying to recover the charme of the past. I just wish they avoided that annoying and useless cursor effect...

Adidas: Adi Dassler

Adidas was founded in 1949 and named after its founder, Adi Dassler. Ever since the brand has been connected to global sports and lifestyle. Adidas is now the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. 180 Amsterdam just released an animated video that tells the pretty amazing story of the German shoe manufacturer Adi Dassler.

The Coke Zero game

CocaCola raised the bar for campaigns around UEFA's Euro 2008 football championships with The Coke Zero Game in Germany. It's a huge and impressive video advergame full of girls, fire, cars and adrenaline.

Responsible agency North Kingdom, known for many award winning projects, announced the game as one of their biggest projects ever. A special page on the North Kingdome site provides insides, a gametrailer and a countdown to the English version.

But if I were you, I would instantly go for the German version!

Ikea and Bedrooms

I LOVE this site... it's been done so well I have little to say other than check it out. It's wickedly good. It by Forsman and Bodenfors.