What: 
Radically redesigning vh1.com to create a unique online identity.

When: 1999-2000

Project Challenge: 
As part of a redesign initiative from MTVi, Funny Garbage (FG) was commissioned to radically revise and refresh vh1.com. We were challenged to integrate existing facets of VH1’s on-air programming, while at the same time creating a unique online identity.

How did we do it?
Our approach was to develop a new brand that kept the on-air aesthetic, but was appropriate for an online environment. FG began this process by designing a new graphic identity and logo, and then moved forward by developing an expansive information design and creating an entirely new back-end architecture for the site. While working within a very short deadline, we incorporated most aspects of the cable network along with standard site functions such as artist search pages and chats.

Additionally, entirely new forms of content were created to lend distinction to the site. One notable example is “The Roadie,” a character who enhances site functionality and vividly demonstrates how a technology-based experience can become a form of content. The Roadie is the equivalent of a personal shopping cart for content, allowing users to save, share and acquire content actively through choice and passively through browsing habits. FG designed and engineered the Roadie application and produced publishing tools that allow vh1.com to use it in an evolving, dynamic manner.

FG’s redesign of vh1.com proved so successful that site traffic increased by more than 50% during its first month.