Tongsville
Hammer & Tongs
Goals
'Tongsville' was created for quirky film and video producers Hammer & Tongs, best known for their music videos and TV ads, and more recently the big screen version of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". The brief requested that the site remained deliberately unspecific as to what H&T do, but to contain enough film and television clues to allude to the nature of their business. It was decided that a site that had an explorative nature whilst being original and innovative would encourage visitors to spend more time experimenting in Tongsville.
Solution
The site was built using a city environment as its metaphor, featuring buildings containing specific content and an array of randomised and hidden elements to encourage repeat visits and exploration. The main city is built in Flash and a microcosm of life with new events happening on each visit. The weather is set to be the same as that in London by using up to date weather report data. So if it is raining in London it is raining in Tongsville. The length of each day and the phase of the moon are calculated using the longitude and latitude of the Hammer and Tongs' offices, allowing the city to gradually change from day to night appropriately.
Results
Where do we start? A labour of love, it garnered awards deluxe and paved the way for a wealth of copycat townscape sites. After six years, it still looks great!