MetaCreations, makers of leading software tools for 3D graphics, came to us in the fall of 1997 with a creative challenge, an open mind, and a short timeline. The goal was a Web site to promote the company's 3D graphics software. The site would serve as the focal point for a marketing push and the click-through destination for a banner advertising campaign to launch in time for the COMDEX trade show in November 1997. That gave us approximately six weeks.

After some rapid strategizing about the audience - creative techno-sophisticates with a nearly insatiable appetite for visual "wows" - we recommended a showcase that would allow digital artists to explore what others are doing in the cool, breakthrough world of 3D.

The Explore 3D site profiles the possibilities of creating 3D images, animations and virtual worlds through an album of 10 examples by peer artists. With an edgy, console-like interface, the site serves eye candy and more: stunning samples are displayed, and a short description of each work and how it was done can be accessed through virtual pull-down panels. QuickTime examples and VRML worlds demonstrate how artists realize 3D space on the flat panel of a computer screen.

We brought the site to life in six weeks. We assembled all content - interviewing the artists and writing their stories, selecting from samples, designing the interface, and developing pages alive with JavaScript effects, such as user-activated gallery navigation bar.

The site subtly brands MetaCreations products by association with the dazzlingly creative work they enable artists to do. It's been hugely successful. Originally designed for a limited promotion period, the site has had such appeal to the 3D community that MetaCreations let it run for many months longer. Now MetaCreations has asked for our help again, in a broader look at its Web branding and promotion efforts.