Lounge Lizard
Top web design and development firm. Specializes in online marketing.
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High-end web design, SEO and e-commerce with award winning results.
You needn't be an engineer to enjoy these 13 short animation experiments exploring sound, electricity, and interface interactions. Each funny animation unfolds like a short film, with a unique variation upon the theme of sound and electricity. We loved that the site has no words(!), and all the elements are self-explanatory.... More
This independent artists' showcase reveals a fiercly original & often sexually bizarre, but cute, 3-d experience. Check out this futuristic miscreant! Fiercely original, strange and even cute, Bam-b is a 3-dimentional showcase of artistic expression and imagination from a Dutch digital artist living in NYC. Since this posting a few new areas were added.... More
Broken Saints is a very, very, very painstakingly created online comic book. As a long time comic book enthusiast, I can assure you that Broken Saints is not just a good comic book in the online sense, it really would be a good comic book if it were published in a more traditional format. The presentation is absolutely beautiful. The crew at Broken Saints has triumphed in the area of navigation, mood, music, and lighting, if you can believe it. And of course, last but not least: the fonts. It's not the only way to publish an online comic, but it's definitely one of the best hybrids of technology and tradition we've seen. If you have ever endeavored to publish your own comic book ideas online, you simply must examine the Broken Saints website - because the bar has been raised. Highlights include: Chapter 17.... More
Publicis Net has just released this funky animated website for SFR (part of Vodafone Group). Even if the site is in French, you should enjoy browsing through it, checking out the cool designer characters and flash animations. The site was created by Publicis Net in collaboration with Paris based creative studio Hellohikimori. And it looks like they had a lot of fun making it!... More
An online branding experience for the new coffee-injected Coke that invites the user to three beautiful virtual rooms representing three drinking moments of a Coca-ColaBlaK (after lunch, at work and at home). Once inside, visitors can access a couple mini-games related to the French tagline "L'esprit Vif?" (translation: "The Sharp Mind"). They give the opportunity to the visitor to take a Coca-ColaBlaK break and accept a mental, uplifting challenge. Overall, it's a very pretty promo for this new Coke drink, showcasing design, bold color-choices and the new, hip Coke packaging more than anything else. An effervescent endeavour for a visually-driven promotional vehicle (written in French).... More
Based on a novella by Neil Gaiman, (Sandman comic books) and directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas) this new stop-motion film promises to be an inspiring tale and visual treat. This creation took about 10 years to evolve from a bedtime story to a complete movie, but it's a good thing it did – it is the first movie to be shot in stereoscopic 3-D, making it ideal for a modern 3-D viewing experience. But before you go, be sure to see the eclectic web site and create a button-eyed version of yourself.... More
With a bit of nacho-on-tongue-in-cheek showmanship, Doritos beings us into their immersive virtual 3D hollywood production set, which doubles as a slighty apocalyptic-hued fantasy secret lab. Again, the detail in these animations is certainly beyond the scope of reasonable spending, but the results are really impressive. There is more than enough eye-candy to go around—down to the randomness programmed into little ant-like people on the ground... and it's only 2/5 complete as three more sections are due to be released in the near future. As a big childhood fan of original Doritos, I'm personally not sure why they need 15 new flavors, but evidently these guys have more time on their hands than you can shake a spice rack at.... More
DUBOIS meets FUGGER is a Belgian agency with an extremely creative website, featuring a funny little man, 31 different transitional animations and 5 little secrets hidden throughout the website. Probably one of the finer online works we've found, and certainly the best of 2007, so far. "Dubois" creates print, advertising and publicity for a number of established Belgian agencies. Enjoy this playful site, with illustrations by Eugene and Louise. Flash design by Studio Plum.... More
A sweet pixelated holiday treat; find the Easter eggs in an randomly generated landscape. Each egg contains a hidden treasure, from mini Flash movies, to egg recipes, short bunny movies, and even an egg font... obviously, the crew behind this is following a strict theme. There's also some fancy customizable options going on behind the beautiful scenery.... More
From a simple seed can sprout the most implausible creations, and the only thing that you need to do is to go up, up and up… So starts a journey through one of the most original websites we've ever visited. Discover the brain-bugs, the hand-flowers and the hearts with human caterpillars, all inside the incredible universe of “El Semillero?", a school for creatives, advertisers and designers located in Mexico. The site is truly an ingenious work of love, with 5 stages of such beautifully animated and rich interactive sections, it makes it difficult to put into words. From what we could gather with our tepid Spanish skills, El Semillero is essentially an elite design school that is responsible for filling up many of the open positions in Spanish speaking advertising agencies across the world. It's really worth checking out every section completely, as each area has its own fantastic elements.... More
As, one of the first (and only) web games we've played more than once, this "advertainment" for the Got Milk? campaign is far-and-away the best produced and realized game sites we've seen since... well, since ever! From the artistry of the characters, to the 3D realization of the island, to the graphic elements, typography... this virtual recreation of a simple board-game comes together like a cold glass of milk and chocolate chip cookies. And of course, this award winning site (Cannes Lion 2006) site was produced by a Swedish firm... who else? Much to love about this design. Now, "can I please get the glass?".... More
For those who are not familiar with the TV show, this site is the launching point for a massive interactive game based on the hit ABC series Lost. Hinted to in a commmercial during the show (Tivo users may have missed this), a live TV ad points you to the fictional Hanso corporation site which actually is the beginning of a cryptic crossover game that intertwines with the mysterious happenings on the TV show. Done in a sort of 'Donnie Darko' way [a classic design for scary films], the site seems harmless enough until you start to dig deeper, and reveal some disturbing elements that would not appear in a regular corporate site. Interestingly this game, being called 'The Lost Experience', will continue on for several weeks, with different clues being given in each country the show is aired... sometimes online, sometimes by phone, or through the show itself. So,... More
Owning a home or a small business can be a risky proposition. To help identity and avoid those risks, Fallon & B-Reel helped insurance company Travelers create "The In-Synch Challenge," an interactive experience - complete with fully 3D rendered environments and composited green screen footage of actual actors - that puts ones safety awareness IQ to the test. Sure, the insurance companies want to put a little fear into you, but the real fear should come from checking out this demo and asking yourself as a web design company... Damn, how the hell could one possibly compete with the depth of this production? Sure, it's a touch dry, but from a development standpoint, it has every possible feature one can cram into a website design - film, motion, 3-D, voice-overs, acting, plus interaction with a bit of game-play. And from a business view, it must be seen as a total... More
This is an oldie, but goodie. It's one of those sites that gets your blood pressure up because, try as you might, you cannot fully explain how Insert Silence was built. Sure, one can go on about tracer movie clips and masks, but that doesn't fully explain it. There's something else at work. Normally, we like to provide a description of a website in these little blurbs, but Insert Silence is something that should really just be seen for itself. Think Nosepilot meets the Bauhaus School of Design.... More
Just another really sick animated Flash music site from our falafel-eating, funky-faced, far out friend, Todd Purgason. But this time it's different - this time the site ain't anything you've seen before. So figure out what the hell a fugly fairy really is, and even torch her with a bow and flaming arrow by a belligerent french ferret. And hey, there's cool Easter egg stuff to download, like free MP3s from some bands, and a blog by Mark Hoppus. Did we forget to mention this was a site for Fuse TV? Have fun!... More
A great site and historical record of the battle between man and machine. Subtly great design, invoking the hidden power and sexiness of Chess. Although some of the early work on the olympic and chess site seem similarly structured, the applied formula is artfully altered to evoke a classy and refined atmosphere for the greatest human challenge of all time. Note how the layout of the gameboard provides an efficient structure for game commentary, current and past moves, and additional navigation.... More
From the mad, mad, mad, mad minds of Panoplie comes Society, an original online multiuser game with 4 different worlds - Select your ID (id1, id2, id3, id4) and connect with them online in this virtual Flash environment.... More
"What's your excuse?" poses the - by now rhetorical - environmental question to the 8-12 "tween" market. It encourages them to save energy at home with a 10-step energy action plan, by way of flash modules and mini-games – which might only be briefly fun for anyone over 12 years old. However, the message of healing the planet, taught to our latest generation of conscious consumers, sponsored by a government agency, is priceless. This site initiates a journey for compassionate, educated kids to learn AND probably teach their parents about positive energy saving habits.... More
These bizarrely cute misfit creatures are right up the alley of Japans and Chinas art audience, where Pete Fowler has just hit it big. And rightfully so! You just can't help but want one for your collection... even if all you collect is stamps.... More
Featuring funny animated clip-art, flourishes and purely mystical landscapes, the immersive Nestea Ice site comes off as a funky cross falling somewhere between Monthy Python and an animated version of the North Pole on Zoloft. Currently hosted live only on Juxt's site, this fantasy world of Nestea Ice hopefully lives on—it's a perfect case-study of a dream design for any illustration and interactive Flash animation team.... More
An awesome playground site of bright colors and pixel love, shockwave games, and now, score keeping! Hello Netbaby World! Don't miss the great shockwave games remenicent of early Nintendo hand-held games - and in 216 color too. Great branding and consistent design throughout the site creates a truly unique gaming world. This site has greatly improved since the last posting. Many of the games now feature universal score keeping and many new games have been added.... More
Myron Campbell is an artist and designer whose mixed media work is immersed in ideas surrounding consciousness and the subconscious, dream states and fairy tales. He uses painting, drawing, digital art, sound, collage and 2D animation to explore and create his bizarre visions. So now, enter his dreams and explore his thoughts in this fragile, patchwork site of his subconscious mind.... More
A highly creative fantasy mixture between a unique mint companies' real factory and a sophisticated virtual playground. Oral Fixation's immersive 3D world offers more explorable pieces than most sites of the genre. We liked how you can re-skin the atmosphere and time of day, which is normally based on the actual conditions at the real company; located in an old chocolate factory in New Jersey. But besides the high-end graphics and addition of skins, Oral Fix is a company interested in true involvement, which consists of (for one example) giving 10% of profits to the Free Tibet Movement*. Perhaps the only 'draw-back' is there is too much to explore—at this point, we haven't found half the stuff they claim is hidden in the site. Which only means we'll have to come back and get our fix at another time of day.... More
We thought the little rabbit alone was worth the price of admission. And then we saw the interior interface to this Flash design studio sculpted around the video game concept of Mario Brothers meets FuriFuri land. Wow factor: 10.... More
It's not often when the future of a major music and entertainment company like Sony rests on the release of a single product. So when you debut two new technologies in one gaming system and sell it for a $400 loss in hopes of making billions down the road... Yup! Sounds like the perfect reason to blow even more money on an extravagant, animated web advertisement - complete with Captain Kirk voice overs! Sadly, at the end of 15 minutes, the site is ultimately an expensive, 3-D marketing brochure with lots of glitz and no interactive substance (somehow, Shatner specialties). However, it also makes us salivate for the very latest in high-definition gaming and graphics. Sony is drawing deep into its brand loyalty cachet and they are betting it all on this console's success. It shows in this high-end video production, but where's the web2.0 love?... More
Although we've all seen 3D immersive sites before, some of the newest breed take it to an uncommonly high level of detail. Take for example the Rexona (also know as Degree deodorant in the U.S.) "Action City" site, which takes its cue from a very popular stunt man TV commercial produced in 2006. It has 3D graphics rivaling next-generation video games, but due to the medium, contains only 1% of the actual full-environmental funtionality—which truthfully, given the medium, is quite an accomplishment. That being said, don't miss the mini-game and the many little hidden clickables. Overall, an A+ for gratuitous graphics.... More
This site will be of special interest to anyone fascinated by the dreamy age of space travel and technology, and of course to collectors and fans of 50s and 60s tin toys. The amount of creativity and artistic talent that went into crafting this collection of space-themed toys and robots is truly amazing—certainly these unique pieces define a bygone era not to be repeated again. And the Flash site by Alberto Cerriteno is a perfect blend of modern, yet rustic design... and even includes a retro game of Space Invaders.... More
A super angular technical design look. This release, replacing an already heavily awarded previous site (done by Oyster Partners), brings the best of the latest - minimal and futuristic-angular design trends - together into one spectacular release. This new push is dedicated to developing the best digital entertainment destination, and this ripe design sends the message: they are doing the business!... More
There are a lot of people making really good cartoons with 3D imagery, but Rustboy.com does stand out in a number of ways. Complete with a diary, a "Making Of" section, concept art, and test scenes, Rustboy and his creator, Brian Taylor (XL5), have put together a website with some real meat. For the casual viewer, I doubt very much that this site will yield much more than some "oohs" and "aahs", but for a designer (or anyone who has ever wished to be an animator) this site provides much more. As mentioned, Rustboy comes complete with a "Making Of" section - and therein is the treat. As you watch Sundance quality QT files, you can read the details of how each effect was accomplished. To be fair, he only goes into detail on a few things, but the site is updated pretty regularly and it is safe to assume... More
A twist on the Survivor genre of entertainment 'verite', Shorn matches couples on first dates and in turn, Shorn users propose outlandish scenarios for the dates specifically designed to embarass the couple into breaking up. Amidst a multitude of animated areas you can interact with the game and other users too, creating a visually rich multimedia experience.... More
Can't really say too much about how beautiful this site is... Upload a photo. Adjust some options. And Simpsonize yourself! Great tie-in with Burger King's brand message of "have it your way". Developed by German agency Cortona. Brilliant!... More
In a continuing sign of the explosion of video gaming to come, Atari rises from the ashes to release a first-of-its-kind Massivly Multiplayer Online racing game for the XBOX360 platform. Test Drive Unlimited is the signature release for the 360 (much as Halo was for the first generation XBOX) which is virtually set on 1000 miles of 3D roads on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Test Drive brings many unprecedented online features to the racing genre and is the first title to fully showcase the true power of the new triple-processor system. If you haven't been keeping up with video games since the days of Spy Hunter then you'll be astounded by the graphics available for home systems which undoubtedly rival the realism of 3D created for blockbuster animation movies. We're very happy that Atari has released a slick, flashy site that describes all of the features, and provides fresh... More
If you wanna see something fantastic, look to nature... but if you are sitting behind a computer, you should settle for the second best thing. Explore this green-themed web site built with Papervision 3D engine in Flash. Be sure to check out the pop-up books, and the unique animals in this amazing site which will actually teach you a thing or two about how to live green(er). We were also amazed by the fast loads, smooth transitions and ability to manipulate your view of the 3-D environment.... More
the truth is a subversive anti-smoking campaign that raises anti-smoking awareness through staged marketing activities – which are then broadcast globally and spread infectiously. What you may not know about this campaign is that it is indirectly funded by big tobacco firms themselves, who settled huge tobacco suits in the late 90's and were forced to pay the 46 suing U.S. States – who set up the The American Legacy Foundation in 1999, which in turn funds 'truth'. Therefore the campaigns you see are the product of the industry's fangs biting its own tail—the same campaigns that use creative marketing installations to spread calamitous truths about the harms of smoking. It's a very interesting paradox... and very well-funded... which means it's very well designed. So spread it!... More
Winner of several prestigious awards (most recently winning SXSW's "Best Online Entertainment" website, 2002), Toronto-based Unplugged TV certainly doesn't need the help of a review here on DT. But we just can't help ourselves. Biting much of their interface from such online entertainment pioneers as Heavy.com and Atom Films, UTV offers quality cartoons and games, a best-of-breed GUI, and pretty decent merchandise, all for free. It's as simple as that. "No need to reinvent the wheel," is their mantra we suspect. Unplugged Studios just concentrates on making it smoother. If your cartooning toolbox is running low on inspiration, take a look at their animation style for a bit of fresh air. It's all the best elements of Flash's limited animation capabilities, wrapped up in a very friendly interface. Highlights include: Rebecca (note: once you see the site, you'll understand how cliché that statement really is).... More
