Different style
Different didn’t want to be just another interactive consultancy. It set out to create an individual style using a unique visual system in an exceptionally competitive market.
You better be different
The Different differences were embedded in two flavours: the Experience Design service and a unique visual brand system.
Different was launching during the ‘dotcom bomb’, consequently I believed the brand strategy was to reflect a transition from the defunct web industry. I advised on the name selection of ‘Different‘ because it declared the brand promise upfront; a different skill set compared to the existing consultancies.
The name was augmented by a distinctive, stylistic brand identity. Instead of relying on abstract icons and meaningless word marks, the Different pattern is inimitable.
Ante up
When the business card hits the table the client’s curiosity is sparked and they become engaged in the Different story.
The objective of the Different identity design was to reinforce the company’s attitude through highly distinctive collateral. The smarts embedded in the tileable pattern allowed the identity to inconspicuously appear on anything without the word mark, plus the identity is scaleable to any size.
Selling experience
The objective of the website was to promote user experience, so it was important to get the notion of people upfront.
Moulin Rouge
Baz Luhrmann makes awe-inspiring films for a mainstream audience. My role throughout the six-month project was as Creative Lead, responsible for driving the vision, distilling the creative strategy into project deliverables, liaising with Baz and managing the Web team for delivery to Twentieth Century Fox (US).
The making of a film…web site
Baz wanted to create an experience that allowed the audience to discover the film’s theme, its characters and the historical background of the Moulin Rouge.
Early concept design…
I worked with Baz to evolve the original concepts through a ‘grunge filter’ to produce a Monty Python’esque view of the Moulin Rouge world.
What if…
The objective of ClubMR was to get the audience to create a parallel between the Moulin Rouge and today’s nightclubs as a way to understanding how the real Moulin Rouge fit into the lives of Parisians. The preferred direction was to create the possibility that the Moulin Rouge of the 1700’s existed in the heart of contemporary New York.
The visuals of the site show the Parisian club in a grungy New York setting, the central attraction for a queue of clubbers waiting behind the velvet rope. Nicole Kidman’s character Satine provides a provocative glimpse of what ‘might’ be in the Club. The visual design was also inspired by the Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band album cover, which places famous people surrounding the Beatles.
