Introducing the Cool Hunting iPad app, with Cadillac
1st April 10
Posted in awesomeness, design, technology
Author: John Sheldon, Director of Brand Dialogue, BBH New York
(This is an updated version of a post from 04.01.10)
There is nothing like working on a completely new platform to get everyone energized and excited.
Everyone here at BBH has been super excited about the opportunities that Apple’s new iPad will open up. We have just announced our first iPad application, the Cool Hunting app initially presented by our client, Cadillac, and developed in partnership between Cool Hunting, BBH and Front Ended.
Here it is. Well, a very static image of what it will look like.
Working with Josh and the team at Cool Hunting was really important in this project. We took their vast library of the latest in design, technology and culture and aligned – and spliced – it with a number of stories and facets about the vehicles.
It was a really interesting challenge from a design perspective. The “creative ambition” was to create a groundbreaking experience for consuming content on the iPad – one that becomes multidimensional with articles, photos, and videos in ways that were never possible before on the web or in the mobile space. We also wanted to propose a new advertising model for publications for the device – one that avoids slapping display advertising on everything and instead envelops the most appropriate and desired content for people. So we’re putting the brand in right place in providing great content to people rather than distracting them from it.
For the initial client/sponsor, Cadillac, this approach would allow the Cool Hunting team to curate and deliver specific content in new, more relevant, and more innovative ways. The muse for the curation is the very sexy new CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe vehicles that Cadillac is slated to release in mid-summer. Building excitement around these vehicles and garnering handraisers for additional information are key goals for the brand.
The design process took six weeks (late nights and every weekend included). Our team ranks this among the most challenging design they had ever taken on. The interesting aspect is that you have to design everything twice – both for the landscape and the vertical layout. And that doesn’t mean the layout changes visually, because we actually changed the experience based on how you were holding the device.
The goal was to incite users to interact with the design as opposed to just looking at it. For example, the default article view allows users to choose how they would most like to consume the content. So we enable more choices based on how people want to view or read the articles. This makes the interaction and visual design process incredibly more complex, but opens up a multitude of new opportunities.
The other part of the design and development challenge was putting together this app for a touch-based interaction in a platform that uses keyboard and mouse as the primary interfacing tools.
Working with the great guys at Front-ended to get it developed and App store approval-ready in short order was only possible through embracing a genuinely iterative and collaborative approach across all partners and client. Iterating between app designers, brand teams and developers daily made sure the final App met the needs of the sponsor, the technological benchmarks and the editorial approach of Cool Hunting.
Many of us are awaiting delivery of our iPads this weekend (our Director of Creative Technology, Richard Schatzberger, spent two hours on iPad release day refreshing his browser literally every second). And we can’t wait to see how other brands are going to find creative ways to take advantage of this new platform.
We know we have a whole bunch to learn about what’s possible, but weíre pleased our learning curve has been steep in the last few months. We like it that way.
In readiness for your iPad deliveries this Saturday, download the Cool Hunting app (here) and give it a look. We’d be interested to know what you think.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by BBHLabs: Introducing BBH’s Very First iPad App, for Cadillac – a new @BBHLabs post: http://j.mp/a5EwHr...
Very cool. Hope it’s not an April Fool’s joke like Netflix though…lol.
[...] Introducing BBH’s very first iPad app, for Cadillac Published: April 1, 2010 Source: BBH Labs Author: John Sheldon, Director of Brand Dialogue, BBH New York There’s nothing like working on a completely new platform to get everyone energized and excited. Everyone here at BBH have been super excited abo… [...]
[...] iPad app, for Cadillac BBH Labs have launched an iPad app created in collaboration with Cool Hunting for [...]
[...] iPad app, for Cadillac BBH Labs have launched an iPad app created in collaboration with Cool Hunting for [...]
Tremendous Kudos, especially love the Cool Hunting collaboration, and the inside read on how it was to build your 1st big client iPad app. Way to go
[...] other lovely surprise was the Coolhunting app. Kudos to the folks at BBH for the partnership of Cadillac and Coolhunting, lots of thought was put into the design and has some nice product integrations, [...]
[...] BBH has just announced their first iPad application, the Cool Hunting app developed for Cadillac in partnership with Cool Hunting and Front Ended. The subject for the curation is the new CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe vehicles that Cadillac is slated to release in mid-summer. [...]
Great use of the iPad for a great site.
As soon as I saw you tweet this out I went to download it and start playing with it. Really enjoy all the content and I think you did a good job of integrating the sponsor without making it annoying.
Thanks for the peek behind the curtain on the process you all went through to make this happen.
Thank you for your kind comments C.C. The process was fast paced and exciting and the team was awesome. As Richard said, look for a lot more curated content to come.
C. C. So glad you like it. The hope is that we give you content that you want to consume and thus keep interacting with the Cadillac section. Make sure you open it on Friday to see a lot more fresh Cool Hunting content curated around Cadillac.
[...] Introducing the Cool Hunting iPad app, with Cadillac [...]
This is really just a sponsoring of Cadillac – nothing genuine Cadillac! Check out Infiniti’s approach to publishing there very own adeyaka magazine on the iPad. Very promising preview pictures on their Facebook page!
[...] Cadillac and Coolhunting http://bbh-labs.com/introducing-bbhs-very-first-ipad-app-for-cadillac [...]
[...] Cadillac and Coolhunting http://bbh-labs.com/introducing-bbhs-very-first-ipad-app-for-cadillac [...]