Pulte Homes is a Fortune 500 homebuilder. Del Webb is their Active Adult brand. As a former employee of the company, I was asked to simplify the Dell Webb brand’s lengthy warranty manual. At the time, the new homeowner had the option of drudging through a three-ring binder with hundreds of pages or an enormous memory-eating digital PDF document. Although there was a well-designed internet version of the information, many Active Adult clients did not have an internet connection. The idea was to enhance the user experience, while drawing from the online content.
The original requirement was that the data be dynamic — due to the client’s ever-changing warranty and legal matters. The result was a flash interface with and XML data source. The design roots come from the interiors of their sales centers and pre-existing corporate identity guidelines.
Cops’n'Mobsters is a design concept team led by a previous client, Josh Steadman. They approached me with the task of creating an online and CD-ROM proposal for a theme ride he was to submit to Disney. Again we collaborated, this time going more towards the Art Deco illustrations of the time. The resulting Flash presentation proved to be a great icebreaker in his presentation of the concept.
Josh Steadman is a successful freelance Illustrator, Painter, and Theme Park designer. At this time, he was looking for a clean interface with design roots from the thirties and forties. Josh also wanted to include a stylized variation of his recurring rocket theme. Working together, Josh and I created illustration and design that was subtly influenced by the era’s graphic design found in everything from marquis signs to cruise ship boarding passes. The opening animation of his rocket was intentionally reminiscent of old cartoonist’s cellophane animation techniques. The portfolio section is dynamically driven by a simple text file, allowing Josh to update and revise his portfolio. A PHP mail form on one of the pages allows visitors to make comments or inquiries.
© 2008
Jeff Foster
