“The entries seemed to fall into three categories: Merging the physical and digital—seamlessly blending the real and virtual worlds to create immersive experiences. Innovative interfaces—elevating user interaction through unique and intuitive interfaces that foster exploration and surprise. And reimagined familiarity—transforming the mundane into the extraordinary and leaving a lasting impression through clever reinterpretation,” says juror Mikell Fine Iles.

“There were a lot of interesting projects that merged software with hardware in a beautiful way,” juror Baptiste Briel says. “A lot of creative installation work was submitted this year.”

“There were so many innovative ways of using screens—different types, shapes, forms, materials and projections,” says juror Zorani Sanabria. “It was exciting to see how boundaries were pushed by using screens creatively.”

“The most effective social and web entries this year utilized bold, in-your-face storytelling that thrusts users into a specific POV—whether that of a pregnant person blocked from accessing safe healthcare, a teen at risk of sextortion or a person living with long COVID,” juror Sarah DiLeo says. “This body of work spanned a spectrum of issue areas and calls to action but was united by its unique ability to create meaningful social impact.” 

“The student environmental projects were by far my favorites,” says Sanabria. “The level of exploration and technology used to create pieces that sparked deeper thinking and questioning was impressive. It was a perfect blend of innovation and purpose.”

“The student entries were quite inspiring,” Iles says. “They combined interesting uses of technology, design craft execution and social impact, which left me optimistic for the future of our industry.”

“One of the most exciting trends I observed in this year’s best entries was brands amplifying the reach of their messages by leveraging cultural references—whether real people, athletes or known IPs—to reach users in innovative, authentic ways that go way beyond a traditional partnership or endorsement,” says DiLeo. “This approach was particularly effective because it centered the interests and needs of the audience—whether horror fans, outdoor adventure enthusiasts or concerned parents—and spoke to what those people would find most rewarding and valuable.”

In addition to describing their overall impressions of the entries, several judges commented on how limited budgets were not a barrier to creativity.

“I was impressed with the wide range of web-based techniques as well as physical-digital combinations using touch, IoT and responsive cameras,” juror Nell Lundy says. “I saw very evocative work that didn’t rely on big budgets.”

“Oftentimes, just a simple long scroll yielded some of the most imaginative, satisfying experiences,” says Iles.

“In several of the winning entries, brands activated their ideas through ingenious uses of existing, publicly available technology, thereby keeping the focus and the production lift on the storytelling and message,” DiLeo says.

As a counter to their praise, I asked the judges to describe the weakest areas they saw in the entries.

“For some projects, the message or the purpose of the product could have been clearer and more motivational for the audience,” says Lundy. “Some projects looked inward at themselves or technique, and I found myself being more interested in projects that looked out at the world, inviting others to participate.”

“While there were definitely some standouts, on the whole, websites were relatively underwhelming compared with some of the other categories,” Iles says.

“Design layouts could have been stronger in some entries,” says Sanabria. “The ideas were fantastic, but the graphic design aspect didn’t always match the concept. There was often too much repetition of one interaction or layout on larger sites that made them feel gimmicky, which detracted from the content.”

Looking forward, I asked the jurors to describe what business, cultural and social developments might alter the role of interactive media in the future.

“I see a growing focus on content-driven experiences, especially those that foster social engagement or support important causes,” Sanabria says.

“With AI-driven analytics and machine learning, businesses can create hyper-personalized interactive experiences, reshaping how consumers engage with brands and content,” says Briel. “Social movements advocating for inclusivity will push interactive media to prioritize accessibility, ensuring technologies serve a diverse range of users, including those with disabilities.”

“Everything will be expected to move or be animated,” Iles says. “Experiences need to entertain as much as educate, especially since attention spans are getting shorter. Media needs to grab you immediately, then offer surprises to keep you hooked.”

“The eight-second attention span affects communications,” says Lundy. “Nonlinear design can help address these needs, and business communication will be upgraded accordingly. Interactive design as part of everyday transactions will become more sophisticated, and interactions will be more transparent. Systems will continue to anticipate users’ choices based on context and history.”

Lastly, I asked the jurors what impact AI will have on the process of interactive design.

“While AI’s capabilities are undeniably impressive, we are in an era where human craftsmanship has the opportunity to stand out and gain even greater recognition in the future of interactive design,” Briel says. “Across various industries—not just interactive design—AI will serve as a powerful tool to streamline labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks. However, the essence of taste and the depth of human emotion remain irreplaceable.”

“Interactive storytelling already offers so many variations in outcome that perhaps the use of AI will multiply these variations into a mind-bending number,” says Lundy. “I love that it enables a lot of creative output, but I’m already feeling bored with some of the visual styles and am finding them identifiable and ignorable.”

“In reaction to AI, we will see a rise in more authentic design—soulful, intuitive and less focused on ‘perfection,’” Sanabria says. “There will be a diversification of style trends as people seek ways to differentiate human-made from AI-generated content.”

“On the strategy side, AI can also assist with enhancing user research and analysis and even help personalize user experiences by tailoring interfaces to each unique user,” says Iles. “Beyond that, AI can complement the creative ideation process and may even lead to new forms of interaction, including voice and gesture recognition. However, designers will need to continue being tastemakers and strategic thinkers and avoid relying too heavily on AI. As the technology becomes further embedded in our lives, it’s crucial we consider the ethical implications regarding privacy and bias and acknowledge its potential to reshape roles and displace jobs across all sectors, including design.”

Selection for this year’s annual required a minimum of four out of six votes. Judges were not permitted to vote on projects with which they were directly involved; I voted in their stead. The winning projects, including links and case-study videos, can be viewed on our website at commarts.com. I would like to extend our grateful appreciation to our jurors for their conscientious efforts in selecting our 31st Interactive Annual. 

In Memoriam

It is with deep sadness that I acknowledge the recent passing of several influential members of the creative community.

Gary Koepke, 68, was a creative director and cofounder of the Boston-based agency Modernista! Prior, he served as founding design director of Vibe magazine and designed both Musician and Benetton’s Colors magazines. He served as creative director for both J.Crew and Wieden+Kennedy Portland, where he helped open that agency’s New York office. Koepke founded Modernista! with Lance Jensen in 2000. Modernista! was named Regional Agency of the Year by AdWeek in 2004. In 2012, he joined SapientNitro as North American chief creative officer. Koepke was a judge for us in 1993, and we published an article on Modernista! in 2007.

Mary Wells Lawrence, 95, was the first woman to own and run a major national advertising agency. Her company, Wells Rich Greene, was best known for the “I Heart NY” campaign. Wells Lawrence wrote ad copy and was an ad manager for department stores in the early 1950s before joining the McCann-Erickson agency in 1953. In 1957, she joined Doyle Dane Bernbach and then Jack Tinker & Partners in 1964 before founding Wells Rich Greene in 1966. She was named Woman of the Year by the American Advertising Federation in 1971 and inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jim Riswold, 66, was hired at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, as its first copywriter hire in 1984 and became renowned for his groundbreaking ad campaigns, most notably for Nike. His commercials “Bo Knows,” “Hello World” featuring Tiger Woods, and the series that paired Michael Jordan and Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon defined a new era in advertising. After being named a partner at the agency in 1992, Newsweek named Riswold one of the 100 most influential people in American culture, and he was inducted into The One Club Creative Hall of Fame in 2013. His work was included in our Annuals more than 50 times.

James Rosene, 60, was cofounder and creative director of EraserFarm, a marketing and ad agency based in Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Arizona State University, he spent his professional life working as a copywriter, art director and creative director for a handful of different agencies including Dunn&Co, 22Squared and WestWayne before cofounding EraserFarm in 2013 with business partner Cindy Haynes. During his career, he worked with a variety of popular corporate clients, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Lincoln Financial Group, Publix and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His work was featured numerous times in both our Annuals and Exhibit section.

Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, 95, was a graphic designer, landscape architect and artist best known for her identity and supergraphics for the Sea Ranch planned community in California. She studied under Armin Hofmann at the Basel School of Design and was one of the Swiss style pioneers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stauffacher Solomon won the American Institute of Architects Industrial Arts Medal in 1970 and taught at Harvard, UC Berkeley and Yale. Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Walker Art Center and Whitney Museum of American Art. We published an article on her in 1971.

Lloyd Ziff, 81, was a celebrated art director who worked on some of the most influential magazines of the 1970s and ’80s, including Condé Nast Traveler, House & Garden, McCall’s, Playgirl, Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine and Vanity Fair. In 1999, Ziff had a heart attack and quit art direction to focus on his photography. His work is in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the International Center of Photography in Manhattan, among other institutions. Ziff was a judge for us in 1981 and 1988, and we published an article on him in 1986. —Patrick Coyne ca