I used to have mullet and a lightning bolt earring and they were glorious. You laugh now but back in the day they were perfectly acceptable and I rocked them hard. Of course, looking back at pictures of me and my mullet make me cringe. Did I really think that was a good look? Seriously, what was I thinking?

But if I think past the look and to the function of that oh-so-horrendous hairstyle it did exactly what I needed it to do -- mark me as a "rebel" and pissed off my parents.

Looking at websites from our past, it's easy to scoff and joke about how silly they look compared to today's flashy Flash fests. But the truth is, we always think what we're doing now is great and what we did "back then" was stupid. But we must always remember to look back in the context of the time. Back then, my mullet was bitchin' and this One Show Interactive 1998 Gold winning site from Honda was killer.

 

One Show Interactive Gold ‘98
Art Director Luis Ramirez
Writers Heather Reid, Claudia Saunders
Producer Michael Sterner
Programmers Andrew Lientz, Jeff Kwong
Client American Honda Motor, Co.
Agency Rubin Postaer Interactive

This site has everything a shopper needs. Want to learn about different Honda models? They're a click away. Plus, you can check out the colors just by clicking a color box! Want to find a dealer? Just input your zip code. Sure the design is rudimentary and maybe a little clunky but the utility of the site is amazing. Compare this to their current site.

All the function of the '98 site is there but so is a whole lot more. I can still see the cars and change their colors and I can still find a dealer using my zip code. The design is much more mature but I also find it a little busy. There's button overload. Too many choices. I'd argue that today's version is the site equivalent of parachute pants -- we simply don't need that many pockets and zippers.

What I love about the original is that it did exactly what it needed to do. It helped shoppers learn about the cars, explore their options, and then continue down the consideration path. It may look funny now but it's design and function was perfect for the time.

So let's learn from the past. Keep it simple and if you're going to be flashy, make sure it serves a real purpose and isn't flashy simply for the sake of being flashy.

 

Playing today's video games is key to the success of anyone wishing to do stellar online creative. At least, that's what I tell my wife and accountant. But seriously, you can learn a lot from playing games.

In the age of print we turned to art books, photographers, and museums for inspiration. During the TV revolution, we looked to films and later music videos. Now the digital age is in full effect and the most inspiring, innovative, ground breaking, and even mind-bending work is more often than not being done in videos games.

Style. Get some.
So much of what we do these days depends on style and execution as much as idea. Just like a good TV idea can be made outstanding with great execution and style, so to can online work. Here's my current favorite example of great style and execution making a good game a killer game, Borderlands.


Notice the unique animation, the type design and motion, the way the music plays into the concept. It's like a Tarantino movie with aliens and bigger guns than even he usually brings. I can tell you from first hand experience that playing Borderlands is a fun and surprising experience and it's all due to the style.

User Interface (UI). It's needed but it can be cool.
Take a quick look at all the browsers available to you. Their core interface is the same, the house is home, the arrows that spin are reload, the arrows pointing left and right are back and forward. We've been trained to expect certain things and we want them. That's not to say we can't be taught new tricks. The best UI gives us just what we need and nothing else. But sometimes the way the UI gives it to us can be refreshing, effective, and fracking cool.

Every First-Person Shooter (FPS) has a basic UI: health bar, shield bar, gun icon your using, ammo in gun and ammo available, map, and a directional finder to your next objective. How these are shown from game to game vary but the core is always there. But sometimes a game needs to give you a bit more info and that's where the fun comes in.

Crysis is a breakthrough game graphically. It's gorgeous. But the real fun of it is that you wear an exoskeleton that gives you extra armor, extra speed, or makes you invisible depending on what you need at the moment and your style of play. Switching between modes is done on the fly and even during combat.

(Notice the sound effects when mousing over options in the setup screen at the beginning. Nice.)

There are many UI designs that would have let us switch modes but the wheel in the middle of the screen, controlled by the mouse, gives us ultimate playability as well as bitchin' graphics. Plus, there's audio feedback when you switch between modes which adds to the experience and helps us confirm we did what we wanted to do. There's nothing like speed running into a ton of bad guys, going full armor, blasting a few dudes, and then disappearing into the jungle. The stellar UI makes it all possible.

Sound Design. Listen, do you smell something?
As an industry, we spend millions on sound and music for TV spots. And we should. It's incredibly important. You should treat your sites the same exact way. Audio feedback on a button click lets the user know they did in fact click. The music you choose can greatly effect the mood of the site just like it does a TV spot. Go with cheesy needle drop and your site will suffer. Sound is also used in games to tell you what's happening and prepare you for what's coming. World of Warcraft has some of the best sound and music you'll find and the audio cues it gives you are incredibly helpful. Spell casters need to drink to have energy to throw their fireballs. Even if I can't see them in front of me, I can hear them drinking which lets me know I need to wait for them.

(This clip starts out with the intro movie followed by real video of different game areas and their accompanying music)

Give your sites the music it needs and consider different music for different site sections as needed. It can help create a better, unique user experience.

Story, Fun, Thrill. You've got to have something.
Movies really suck when their stories suck, nothing happens, and you get nothing out of them. Duh. Games are the same way. A shooter that is the same old run and gun experience quickly finds its way to the clearance shelf. That's why games like Crysis, Borderlands, BioShock, and F.E.A.R. succeed. They're familiar yet executed differently and thus are more exciting. The story in BioShock is truly interesting and compelling. F.E.A.R. is a good shooter but it's by far the creepiest and thrilling game I've ever played (think Shining meets Jacob's Ladder with guns). Crysis and Borderlands are just plain fun because of their game play and graphics. But it's not just shooters. Tetris was/is incredibly fun. Mario Cart provides hours of thrilling enjoyment. Sam and Max is a serialized gumshoe detective game known for its humorous and rich stories.

(Don’t play F.E.A.R. in a dark room. Trust me.)

Your site should be just as engaging. Ask yourself, "What story am I trying to tell?" It could be a story about customer service or innovative products. Look at Apple's site. It screams innovative company from its design to its layout. Is your site fun? Uniqlo is known for its fun and inventive sites. As for thrilling, I personally think the Air Force Basic Training site is very exciting. But then, I'm biased.

To sum up: Play games. Learn from what they do. Apply it the next time you concept a site, a mobile experience, an app, or even a banner. Be a badass.

Warning: Excessive gaming may be hazardous to your love life, social life, and bank account. Frag with caution.