bluepenguin works
The following is a selection of recent works. Some are full Flash and others are Web Standards compliant and may incorporate some Flash as well.
Standards sites
These sites are created using XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets, PHP, Flash and a little Javascript: the same technologies which went into making this site.
Elizabeth Brown JP - Civil Marriage Celebrant
Elizabeth Brown is a Civil Marriage Celebrant based in the southern suburbs of Sydney. She approached me with a brief to create a site which would be very simple to use, reflect her personality and speak to people who would be seeking what is a very wide variety of services - from weddings/commitment ceremonies to baby namings and funerals.
The site is fully standards compliant, very easy to use and has many design features of a classic wedding invitation. The approach was to create a very soft and calming feel, with the use of greyscale images and "gold-look" titles, links, etc.. View this site.
Partnership for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
The Partnership for the EAAF is an international organisation of government and peak NGOs stretching across much of the Asia-Pacific Region. It's purpose is to provide a coordinated response to the conservation needs of migratory waterbirds which travel throughout region. I was approached by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Environment, Conservation, Water, Arts & Heritage to create a site which will serve as a focal point for obtaining information and documentation on Partnership projects and help to recruit new members.
The site features gorgeous Flash animated banners depicting an amazing array of birdlife and a secure member's forum. It is built to the highest Australian Commonwealth useability and accessibility standards as part of the customer's brief that the site must be fully compliant with Commonwealth of Australia Anti-Discrimination Legislation. A Chinese/Mandarin version of the site will be constructed in the near future. View this site.
Australian Bushland Restoration
Australian Bushland Restoration is one of the Sydney region's larger bush regeneration companies. Director, David Harris, approached me with a request for a simple site which would reflect his love of the Sydney bushland and the birds and animals which inhabit it. We chose the colours of the Sydney Red Gum for the siteand went for a very clean look.
This is a very simple site to use. Emphasis for various sections of the site that relate to current pages is given by placing leader text and links in the left column. This helps direct site visitors to more information which is relevant to their search. View this site.
The Australasian Wader Studies Group
The AWSG is the peak regional organisation for research, conservation and advocacy for migratory shorebirds. It is part of the peak Australian NGO, Birds Australia.
The site is built with the best web standards and employs Flash banners on every page, depicting the birds and iconic wetlands of the region. It is constructed so that visitors who don't have the Flash player installed receive alternate images. It is built entirely on a voluntary basis. View this site.
The Global Flyway Network
The GFN Is a group of researchers working in the major shorebird flyways of the planet. the Australian-based researcher approached me with a brief to create a site which would help him get his message out the many volunteers who support his efforts in North Western Australia, as well as provide incentives and information to maintain interest in his study projects.
The outcome is a simple, informative and colourful standards-based site with a strong community feel. It is easily navigated, ensuring that people of all web experience levels can find the information they need with ease. View this site.
Dragonfly Environmental
Dragonfly Environmental is a wetland regeneration, construction and maintenance business, with a network of sites across NSW and Victoria.
The customer's brief was that his site should reflect his love of nature and wetlands whilst maintaining the "corporate edge" which would be in keeping with expectations of his clientelle: local & state government as well as development groups. As with all bluepenguin sites, this one is built with the best of web standards features and technologies. This site is due for completion in late June 2008.
DG & Safety
Dangerous Goods and Safety is Australasia's largest online and face-to-face trainer of people in the airline industry who handle dangerous or potentially hazardous material. I joined a team which collaborated in creating this sophisticated online training site. My role is to build and maintain a large number of interactive Flash lessons and online exams, which are located in a secure section.
I also designed and coded the front-end/interface for the public section of the site, including Flash ads and banners. This involved an upgrade from an old tables-based site to full standards compliance. View this site.
The Asia-Pacific Shorebird Network
This site serves as a focal point for a number of conservation organisations, research groups and individuals who are involved with or interested in the study and conservation of migratory shorebirds in the region.
The site is built with the highest level of web standards features and technologies and employs Flash banners on every page. The site is constructed so that visitors who don't have the Flash player installed receive alternate images. A Chineses (Mandarin) version of the site is under construction. View this site.
Yogology
Yogology is a yoga studio based in Newcastle on the NSW central coast. The customer's brief was for a very simple and informative site which would attract visitors to his studio and help him to diversify his business into the corporate and personal training sectors.
The site features beautiful flash animations with images of the customer and his wife doing yoga in the bush, parks and on beaches across the locality. As with all bluepenguin sites, it's compliant with the latest web standards and very easy to navigate. View this site.
Broome Bird Observatory
The BBO is part of Birds Australia, which is Australia's peak scientific and recreational birding organisation. Situated on the shores of Roebuck Bay on the north-west coast of Australia, the Observatory conducts tours and courses for nature lovers and is a centre for a variety of research projects on migratory shorebirds.
The site reflects the bright colour pallette of the region and is loaded with gorgeous Flash banners of the birds and surrounding countryside. Among a wide range of standards features and technologies, alternate images are provided for users who don't have the Flash player installed. View this site.
Tranquil Loft
Tranquil Loft is a complimentary therapy and massage clinic on Sydney's southern beaches. This site is crafted to reflect the serene atmoshpere of the Tranquil Loft and convey a professional image to site visitors. Half of all customers find this business through Google.
I capitalised on the strong sense of local identity in Cronulla by employing a range of images from the locality within the site in order to instil the sense that the Tranquil Loft is part of the local culture and is the natural destination for locals requiring massage therapy. View this site.
Restore Saemangeum
Restore Saemangeum site is the focus of a global conservation campaign aimed at convincing the South Korean government to take action which will repair some of the massive environmental damage which their land reclamation project has caused in the region.
The site is simple in style and uses colours that bring to it an uplifting, optimistic mood. It contains a full-featured letter-writing campaign for site visitors to engage in. View this site.
Birds Australia Southern NSW & ACT region
BASNA is a part of Birds Australia. This is an informational site which features a stunning array of Flash banners that celebrate the beauty and diversity of the birdlife in the NSW region.
In keeping with their close relationship, the BASNA site is similar to the Broome Bird Observatory site in structure. This site is built and maintained on a totally voluntary basis. View this site.
Flash sites
Tarot
Tarot is a small "on-the-side" concern of the Tranquil Loft, for which bluepenguin created a complete standards-based site.
The Tarot site uses the striking imagery of tarot cards and a card flipping menu to draw visitors into a full experience of this site's message. View this site, but beware, visitors are warned that the card flipping menu is totally addictive.
Creative by Design
Creative by Design is one of Australia's largest custom furniture makers. Their sales site is a "full-screen" Flash site which draws upon the beautiful range of furniture to display generously sized images to potential customers.
The site has a playful mood with colourful, animated panels combined with a strong element of corporate image. View this site.
Krishna Catering
Krishna Catering is another "full-screen" Flash site. The brief was to build a site which would entice local business, and those planning functions. The customer did not want to use too many words and instead desired to have images tell the story. Flash is ideal for this sort of brief and the full screen imagery and animation draws the site visitor into right into the experience.
More than 50% of Krishna Catering's orders come from customers who have visited the site. Visit this site.