Eli Hudson Horne

Naked Ambition came my way via my old employer Playboy. Celebrity photographer Michael Grecco wanted a refresh of his website for an upcoming press push of his new film. He needed a clean, effective site that not only got the attention of the visitor, but also of Google.

After a couple design rounds, we arrived on something that drove the final direction of the site. (1) Access the trailer and book information from any page on the site (via a flyover) and (2) Make everything as intuitive as humanely possible.

Shortly after the launch, the site was picked up by several respected design showcases including:

• Best Web Gallery
• CSS Import
• CSS Mania
• jQuery Style

Naked Ambition

Visit the full site: nakedambition.com

By the time HGTV came down the pipe, our team had the benefit of a team of developers who had already worked in close proximity (foodnetwork.com). As a result, we were able to take this project from PSDs to a living, breathing website in just over 2 months. Although we were using the DPL for the second time, much of it was optimized and improved to support new UX behaviors.

The biggest challenge with this site (and FoodNetwork.com) was the extensive use of alpha transparency, and animated modules that needed to be modular-enough to jump columns and change widths. Because several of the right and left rail modules animated upwards, IE6 was a major liability for the development team. With some careful progressive enhancement, we packaged up a site that functions at 100% for all browsers, with a little extra gloss and sparkle for visitors with standards-compatible browsers.

Below is a screenshot of the homepage with one of the main level dropdowns activated. This experience was achieved across all our major browsers. Visit the full site: HGTV.com

HGTV Dropdown Navigation

Revamping FoodNetwork.com was our (my development team's) first brush with our budding Design Pattern Library, a set of modular HTML and JavaScript modules that allowed us to quickly turn on carousels, tabs, and other UX designs.

Like HGTV.com, this site's extensive use of alpha transparency and rounded corners made cross-browser compatibility a hurdle to be crossed.

Below is a screen shot of the homepage with one our trademark drop down navigation elements firing. Visit the full site: FoodNetwork.com

Food Network Dropdown Navigation

Patrón was, without a doubt, a dream client. Their aesthetic matched my style closer than anything I've encountered. Being tasked with manipulating white space and careful color palettes in a minimalist ad unit was a dream.

The ad unit was slated for online distribution, although it was also pitched to the client as a print option (via the magazine).

Patrón Full Page Ad Unit

One of Playboy's annual features is the "Rock The Rabbit" showcase where undiscovered or rising bands are promoted with dedicated pages and custom t-shirt designs.

I worked on the main site (pictured below) where I tackled a particularly tricky "layered" navigation powered entirely by CSS and extensive use of z-index, yet maintained cross-browser compatibility. Here's a screenshot of the navigation in action.

Playboy - Rock The Rabbit

I also had the privilege of working on profile pages for 5 of the bands, some of which I'd listened to before and some which were totally new to me. I spent a week listening to their selected songs, and designing the headers that I felt reflected the artists' tones.

• New Young Pony Club
• Office
• The Pipettes
• Working For a Nuclear Free City
• Margot and the Nuclear So & So

EXIT PHILADELPHIA was one of my earliest projects where I undertook the task of development rather than outsourcing it. Built on top of WordPress and a slew of plugins, I was able to present my friend Steve with a brand-new web presence to promote his new store location.

I also worked with Steve to create several print campaigns and the company identity which was printed on business cards and in several well known skateboard magazines. Below is a comp of the business cards, and a full-page ad spread that appeared in Focus Magazine.

EXIT PHILADELPHIA

EXIT PHILADELPHIA

EXIT PHILADELPHIA

Spirit In Action is a company that I've known for years, both as a client of mine, and a collaborator with my mother's business endeavors. I got an email from the founder saying that they had an event coming down the pipe very soon, but they didn't have any visuals to send out.

Below is one of the flyers I whipped up for email circulation. SIA's branding is dominated by the color purple, but I wanted to keep the content clear and airy so as to convey a feeling of "relaxation" for the recipients.

Spirit In Action Flyer

Brunchable is one of my most recent (and still very much under development) projects. A blog about everyone's favorite meal: brunch. The format is that of a standard blog, but the technology is as modern as can be. Contributors descend on a brunch location, photograph the meals with their iPhones, upload the pictures to a shared Flickr account, and then critique their meals. The location of the restuarant is determined via embedded Google Maps, which conveniently provides more photos and ratings from out members of the anonymous population.

Brunchable Branding

The design of the site has yet to emerge from my standard 2-column WordPress theme, but I'm particularly happy with the identity. On the right is Brunchable's official logo (business cards coming soon). Be sure to hover over the box for the full effect.