Posts Tagged ‘Dana Interactive’
Interactive Allakhazam! Part 1: Runtime Sprites
Posted by MHollman | Filed under Design, Interactive, Media
This post will be the first in a series of short articles that describe the many different projects DANA’s interactive department works with, the challenges each project presents, and how we work towards solutions for those challenges.
In working on creating material for an interactive proposal request for one of our clients, I started working with creating sprites (graphics) at runtime (when the movie plays) rather than having those sprites already on the stage before the movie starts. The time you can save when working in this method is significant when you have a project with many many objects. For example:
The project I was working on required was an interactive calendar – so a big grid of boxes with numbers on them, and then text that described the event. If I wasn’t creating the sprites at runtime, I’d have to create 30 unique box graphics, each with a different number, unique text fields explaining the events (something like the events happening on that day), place them in their positions, and give them each a unique name. Quite a bit of set-up. Then, to interact with these boxes, their numbers, or their sub-information I’d have to call them out individually, and tell them what I want changed, or go change it manually by editing the graphic of each square. If I wanted to move all of them I’d have to either call them out by name, or keyframe animate each square – that could take hours!
When creating the sprites at runtime, I instead make a single box, with a single text field for the date, and empty spaces for the events to go in. Then, I write code that says, “Hey, put 30 of those on the stage, space them 10 pixels apart, make 4 rows. Each time you put one down, change the number inside of it to the order in which it was placed (So the 5th one put on the stage will say 5), give the box a unique numbered name, and put that name in a list. Then, load this text file I give you, and put all the event information in those empty boxes.” So now I’ve got a stage full of exactly positioned squares, with correct numbers, full of information, and I’ve got all of their unique names in a list! So if I want to change anything about them – say I want them all to double in size so we can zoom in and read more text in each square – I can do that by writing code that says, “That list you made? Check through that, and scale all of those up. Make sure they’re still spaced nicely. Then expand the text boxes so we can read more.”
Creating Flash in this manner is really exciting for me. There’s something beautiful and elegant about writing code that does all this in a few lines, about having nothing on the stage when you start a movie, and have it automagicly populate. Like the idea of magic, we re-create our reality (or virtual reality) with words (or ActionScript); instead of carving a castle from stone, we take a single rock, and sculpt it into a grand palace that dances and sings at our very suggestion. Romancing the code aside – I hope this has been somewhat educational in regards to the benefits of runtime artistry for projects with many elements.
:: Dana Launches Web Campaign for American Express Targeting Meeting and Event Planners ::
Posted by Eric Welsh | Filed under Advertising, Dana News, Design, Hospitality News, Interactive, Uncategorized
HOPEWELL, New Jersey – January 19, 2009 — Dana Communications recently created an interactive campaign for American Express to drive business for its Meetings and Events division.
American Express, a leading global payments, network and travel company, selected Dana based on the agency’s expertise in interactive marketing and its outstanding reputation in the hospitality industry. In particular, the campaign showcases Dana’s success with developing and writing corporate websites and with managing large-scale interactive projects.
Central to the campaign is a multifaceted website designed to capture the attention of meeting and event planners, promote the array of services American Express offers to Cardmembers, and encourage repeat online visits. Dana positions American Express as a one-stop authority that can help them plan and execute meetings.
A landing page portal leads to pages individualized to the needs of every target audience––corporate/association, independent and occasional meeting planners, as well as professional and occasional social event planners.
User-friendly with straightforward navigation, the website remains informative and thoughtful, efficiently covering topics such as payment solutions, planning resources and exclusive offers and rewards. Coordinating photography portrays the meetings and events lifestyle and personalizes the campaign.
The American Express Meeting Solutions website can be viewed at www.americanexpress.com/meetingplanning.
“This is an awesome partnership for a variety of reasons,” said Eric Welsh, Director of Dana Interactive. “It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase our interactive know-how. It’s with a great client in American Express Meetings. It creates a platform that provides valuable information, and it positions Dana as a solid partner within the industry.”
Dana supports the website with a comprehensive campaign targeting meeting and event planners: banner ads, e-blasts and corresponding landing pages, plus search engine optimization and search engine advertising.
