Squeaky toys, disemboweled stuffed animals, and aromatic meat treats don’t fit naturally in an office environment. Nevertheless, Digital Pulp’s office canine, Shorty, makes himself at home here.

He arrives every other morning, bright eyed, not at all bushy tailed, and heads straight to my desk. This is his most playful period of the day. The excitement of our cross-town walk on 22^nd street builds up in his limited 20-pounds. He has to dodge speed walking feet, low hanging briefcases and holey sidewalk grates. By the time we reach 220 East 23^rd, it’s time to dance. It’s more of a squirm than a dance. He lies on his back, curls right and left, right and left, aiming to woo someone, specifically me, to rub his belly.

Next we play the shortest game of fetch anyone has even seen. I toss a tennis ball down the hall. He bounds after it. If all goes well he catches the ball before it reaches Ron’s office and he returns at equally high speed. He comes straight for me with a twinkle in his eye that suggests he has finally realized the magic of this game dogs play. Will he give the ball back to me and wait eagerly for a second toss? Nope. He zooms past me and guards his treasure. The game is over.

Over the course of the day he sleeps. He rouses at lunchtime to beg my coworkers for their food. He sleeps some more. He sits on my lap during creative reviews, paying very close attention to … anything we’re eating. We walk to Gramercy Park every few fours and hunt for the smartest squirrel in the world (he’s the one that knows he’s in a private park so he’ll come right up to the gate.) It all seems pretty boring and repetitive. I wonder if Shorty thinks our time together is worth the extra effort traveling between Brooklyn and Manhattan?

It’s a bad idea to project my emotions on Shorty and to humanize him to the point of helplessness. But as an urban dog owner it’s inevitable that my dog lives in an unnatural environment. One natural thing I can provide for him is company. Dogs are pack animals after all. So while the subway is completely foreign to him and his squeaky toys can disrupt our phone calls, it’s worth it and we’re both happier when we’re together.

- Katherine Saunders, Art Director

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- Tara Mattera, Account Supervisor

Have you ever wished you had an extra inch on a crowded subway? Are you tired of being on the train and having another person’s armpit a little too close to your face? Well, sorry, there’s not much you can do about that. What you can do is check out KernType, a fun outlet for you to take out your space-related frustrations.

KernType is an online game that interactively tests your type-kerning skills. Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a piece of text, usually to achieve a visually pleasing and more readable result. KernType was developed for Method of Action, a peer-to-peer educational website “for people who want to get things done”. When the site launches this spring, you will need to score at least 90/100 to pass this mission.

Fortunately, the world of type enjoys the spacing perfection absent from your daily commute. Good luck and happy kerning!

- Ian Hall, Senior Producer

http://m.childfund.org/

So take out your mobile phone, click around and don’t forget to “Text a Gift”. More about this exciting launch from the those behind the work…

Pauline, Marketing Director says: “We’ve helped ChildFund establish a strong presence for the mobile audience, and they can now take advantage of ‘text-to-give’ as a new channel for fundraising.”

Cynthia, Director of Communications says: “We know our supporters are committed and passionate about helping children around the world, and this mobile site provides them with portable access at all times. They can share information with others through the site and if they are moved, they also can donate quickly and easily. Best of all, the site provides direct access for those who have decided to commit to sponsoring a child.”

Shirley, Digital Producer says: “I love that we were able to use content, message, and technology to deliver a unique experience and potentially open up ChildFund to new audiences.”

Laura, Marketing Director says: “The mobile site looks great! Wow!”

Special thanks to the ChildFund marketing team as well as Shirley, Pauline, Katherine, Stuart, Jeff and Josh for their beautiful execution. Amazing effort all around!

Verisk Health is a true innovator in providing risk assessment and predictive modeling tools to the global healthcare industry.

We’re excited to announce that Verisk Health has launched a new web site (http://www.veriskhealth.com) that tells the story of its innovative products and services in a engaging and colorful way.  The home page features a randomly fluctuating series of lines representing the changing landscape of healthcare and the theme of bringing clarity to complex data, which underlies the Sightlines suite of products. The new web site also features case studies, the Perspectives Blog and a wealth of information for a diverse set of healthcare industry audiences.

Digital Pulp worked with Verisk Health’s marketing team to craft a message and creative concept that articulates the company’s brand online and to extend the brand to the company’s offline materials, ranging from corporate and product brochures to business cards and presentation templates. More from the team behind the effort…

Trish, Marketing VP, Verisk Health says: “Digital Pulp really dug in to grasp what we do and what we wanted to say. Their ability to listen and understand and then translate that visually and narratively into a strong web presence is what really sets them apart.”

Doris, Senior Producer, Digital Pulp says:  ”With healthcare reform dominating the headlines, it was exciting to work with a company that has real answers and can so clearly help to make a difference in the industry.”

Kiu, Graphic Designer, Digital Pulp says: “Bringing a great brand like Verisk Health to life on the Web and extending the visual signature to all of their corporate materials was a challenging and interesting experience.”

All we can say is thank you to the Verisk Health marketing team for the opportunity and congratulations to Doris, Kiu and Susan for crafting a new message and image to match the innovative products and thinking at Verisk Health. Amazing!

http://www.mymethlife.org

Delving deeply into the feelings that drive meth use, the site offers uncensored stories of what it is like to use and presents some healthier and realistic options for making a change.

We are extremely pleased with the number of user comments throughout the site. Friends, family, and former meth users are generously sharing their personal experiences with GMHC. All in a community effort to not judge but support those facing meth addiction.

View the award

Special thanks to the GMHC marketing team as well as our own Shirley, Katherine, Joe, Josh, Dan and Steven for all their work to make the site a reality.

http://www.redkensalon.com
(Redken pro account required; Click “My Clients” to start consultations)

This new online client profiler system gives Redken stylists enhanced tools to interact with their clients before they walk through door and sit down in the salon chair. This new tool allows stylists to create custom hair plans and record individual hair needs, track appointments, formulas, retail purchases for each individual client and keep all this information available to them long after the appointment has ended.

“The tool has taken offline printed manuals, tear sheets, loads and loads of paper and brought them to a new dimension online. The usability is fantastic and more robust then our offline product. DP has taken a very complicated process and created a user experience that allows my customers to easily use this tool with out much explanation.” - Matt Courtney, Director Web Production & Design, Redken 5th Avenue NYC

“Being able to store client information in one, user-friendly place, is imperative to the stylist fully utilizing the Redken Art of Consultation system. The fact that they can also send out the Client Profiler Form prior to the appointment, saves the stylist and the client time in the end.” - Marketing Team, Redken 5th Avenue NYC

Many thanks to Matt and the Redken marketing team as well as Sam, Stuart, Josh, and Justin for all their engineering efforts!

So we travelled, watched fireworks and grilled out. What do you expect?

The digital brand experience begins with an interactive website that creates immediate energy around the Biotrue brand through animation and storytelling. Particularly the World of Bio-inspiration encourages both consumer and professional audiences to interact with and discover what products, like Biotrue, are inspired by nature.

Videos and interactive graphs are abundant throughout the site enhancing the user’s experience as they explore what makes Biotrue truly unique. Awareness is being generated online with dynamic banner ads and coordinates beautifully with TV and PR efforts in cities across the U.S. More from the team behind the work…

Chris, Senior Brand Manager, B+L says: “Congratulations on the launch of Biotrue.com!!! Thanks for all of your hard work in getting this spectacular site up and running. Your team continues to deliver exceptional work.”

Susan, Senior Account Manager, Digital Pulp says: “In a category that is known for low consumer engagement, the Biotrue brand and site break the mold. It’s exciting and engaging from the first moment the site intro starts to play!”

Gene, Creative Director, Digital Pulp says: “The site presents a great balance of brand experience and elucidation, giving visitors both product and category information. From the multimedia introduction to the interactive world of bioninspiration, Biotrue.com delivers.”

Thank you to B+L marketing team for the opportunity to do something so wonderful. And many thanks to all the talented DP team members who had a hand in the strategy, planning, design and development. What a nice result.

Virtually every page of Emerson’s new website includes related videos and links to the College’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, and ProArts Connect portals. Visitors can participate in the community within those sections and also by reading and commenting on the numerous blogs throughout the website. More from the team behind the work…

Andy, VP for Communications and Marketing says: “As the only college in America focused exclusively on communication and the arts, our goal was to highlight the community’s creative vision and outgoing personality by showcasing the work of Emerson’s students, faculty, and alumni.”

Marta, Web Content Developer says: “While the most critical function for any college’s website is to provide information, we also wanted to create ways for our visitors to participate in conversations, hear directly from Emersonians, and as much as possible, experience Emerson live.”

Erika, Senior Producer says: “Emerson College has many talented students and providing them with a means to showcase their work in a fun an innovative way, Emerson Live, was very rewarding.”

Dan, Developer says: “I really enjoyed building the home page main feature area. It was especially fun collaborating with our design team to achieve the impact of a flash feature while using only javascript, HTML, and CSS.”

Special thanks to the Emerson communications team as well as Chris, Erika, Katherine, Kiu, Dan, Alex, Ryan, Alexander, James and Josh for bringing the site to life. Nicely done.