SXSW Interactive Award Finalist: Red Tiki

It happens so often that we sometimes don’t even notice anymore: boring graphics. A company’s website might be full of great information or a business might have really professional brochures. They might have fantastic products to market. That’s all well and good, but, at least if you’re like me, you get the feeling that after a while, it all starts to look the same. If the brochure or website (or, really, anything a company uses to promote itself and its goods) is boring and full of the same stock photos that I feel like I see on everything else, I’m less likely to spend too much time looking at it. On the other hand, if the graphic design being used to market the product is fresh and interesting, interactive, even, I’m more likely to spend more time on a company’s page. Nominated this year for a South by Southwest Interactive Award, Red Tiki is a group of designers based in Australia who think outside the box, and just one look at their website will show you that.

Everything is very neat, orderly, and easy to navigate. It’s easy to get to their blog and Twitter feed right from the homepage. But all of that is not necessarily uncommon. What makes this page stand out is that the animation and graphics are just so much more interesting. Where I’m sitting, wind chill is below zero, but this website makes me feel like I’m sitting somewhere much, much warmer. If I had a company whose website needed a facelift or if I needed some re-branding work, Red Tiki’s website leads me to believe that they can help me design something that’s user friendly and creative, making it not really a process but more of an experience for the user.

And, I believe, there’s the rub.

As multimedia continues to be incorporated into our online experience, pages like Red Tiki will see more hits and their business will thrive because it’s just more interesting than looking at something static — something that looks like it hasn’t been updated or changed since just after it stopped being cool to use AOL Homepages. It’s interactive and we like interactive.

So check out Red Tiki’s website. It’s like a vacation for your eyes. Ultimately, if nothing else, allow yourself to be inspired by their design, especially if you’re considering an update.