“Illustration and beer—a perfect combo. This simple-to-use site gets straight to the point with easy access to lots of great examples of imagination at work.” —juror Craig Swann

“This is a fun site with a retro look. It’s a consistently presented, amusing idea resulting in an imaginative self-promo site where the work still takes center stage.”—juror Allegra Burnette

Overview: Testimonials and clever sound effects further enhance the selection of work shown on this site. The before-and-after component of the “retouching” section is a smart marketing device, effectively demonstrating the company’s expertise and creativity.

• 1 compact 190k file used as a shell to load external image files
• XML data files catalog image information
• 88 images of firm’s work
• 3 months, 3 people

Comments by Patrick White: 
“The goal was to present a sample of our portfolio to an ever-expanding national client base with the ease of access that the Web offers. In the scrutinizing world of print advertising, the site couldn’t replace our printed portfolio. Instead, it’s a supplement; an enticement that provides a virtual fly-by of our best work.

“The site presents our three main disciplines (photography, retouching and illustration) and showcases our wide range of styles. It offers control of ‘before’ and ‘after’ views and gives a sense of the studio and the people.

“We researched browsing tendencies to help us decide which methods, layouts and styles excited, confused or bored us. The site structure was guided by that research and the insight and experience of Kevin Byrd (Lightroom), who implemented the design. In the end, it’s a playful, logical site that’s easy-to-use, sustains a viewer’s interest and lets the work speak for itself.

“As with all of the Vertis creative studios, Imagination Brewery’s identity is unique. The theme implies quality and craftsmanship, much like the best beer label designs: The bartenders represent good service and trustworthiness and application of the theme is indicative of our creative problem solving.

 “Ultimately, we tried to design a site that represents the studio’s culture—one of enthusiasm, camaraderie, professionalism and creativity.”