Client
Gaylord Hotels - Nashville, TN - Travel Industry
Project Type
Microsite for an annual sales event
Role
Art direction, ActionScript programming, Illustration, Web design, HTML programming, CSS development
The entire user experience happens in an historic railroad car.
Briefing
Design of a highly interactive microsite that communicates event details to the invitees.
The sales event takes place during the ride of the Ski Train in Denver, CO.
Address two main target audiences: meeting and convention attendees and leisure guests.
Details of the event
Objectives
- Showcase both the leisure and business aspect of the event.
- The microsite itself should be a reflections of Gaylord Hotels creativity.
- Craft a unique web design that stands out from other event invitations.
Results
The web designer created a piece with a nostalgic hand-drawn and illustrative look. Users can discover information about the event by clicking on different objects. This creates a high degree of interactivity and engagement.
Design
After interviewing the client the desinger decided to focus on the fact that the event was being held in a historic train. The art direction was to create an online environment where users have to playfully find clues about the event. The entire user experience took place within a single compartment a wagon.
A hand drawn sketch was the basis for the web design. After scanning the drawings all elements of the microsite’ design were finalized in Illustrator and Photoshop. This piece won an ADDY Award 2007.
All elements of this design were hand drawn
Development
This online invitation was build in entirely in Flash. This allowed for most engaging user experience. The target audience was also known so SEO was not a concern at all. The redundant navigation at the bottom was implemented to guarantee that the important information got delivered to the viewer. However, the visitor of the microsite also had the chance to explore and find pieces of information by clicking on elements in the wagon.
Subtle details such as the full functional window, background noise and the horizon moving slower than the middle ground create a user experience that leads to conversion: The invitation got an overwhelming response so that Gaylord Hotels promised to repeat it the following year.
A second navigation gives users quick access the event information
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