The page captures that “exciting” feel. It “pops”, as marketing geniuses say. I hate that word, but I know when I’ve created a design that does it.

No, what I’m really stoked about is those little tabs. Just love ‘em. Favorite part, hands down.

I know that yellow arrow is a tangent with the car windshield, and that’s bothering you.

You looked at it because it looks like it’s not supposed to be there. But you did look at it, didn’t you.

It was originally green. Apparently they’ve had trouble in the past with green-centric themes. So now it’s blue!

Interesting how what “doesn’t work” changes from company to company. And none of them really test, so if money was lost on a green-colored site in the past, green is now totally evil.

Hahaha! You’ve all been had!

See that mouse pointer your eyes instinctively darted to? I made it in Photoshop! It’s not real!

Sadly, I often trick myself while designing such annoying marketing elements. But the damn thing works chief. So it’ll keep getting used.

Another potential site mascot!

I tried to capture myself in vector just like great royalty did in paintings—so naturally I’m a little more ripped, svelte, and my motorcycle has no carburetor.

This was originally going to be my site mascot.

The alien was a fixed background, and the whale (see full-size image) scrolled up as part of the footer. Clever.

Sure had a good time with this one!

There is currently zero creativity in the direct marketing business, and for good reason. Creativity does not bring $$$’s. At least not $$$’s from idiots, which is where most direct marketing millions come from (fyi). So, when I’m allowed to roam free (in the name of metrics and testing) and do my own thing, I go for broke.

In case you were wondering, YES, Benny’s hair extensions did come from a Google image search for Eddie Van Halen. I’m serious. And that’s why this creatives converts.

My dad had a plethora of old repair manuals around the house/garage at all times. The illustrations in these manuals were ink-outlined and airbrushed in places to enhance visual clarity.

The moment I popped the fuzzy paper texture in the background, my mind flashed back to that style—and I went for it.

As a side note, we’d just bought Gotham and Archer the quarter I did all my portfolio creatives. I overused it, I think

Everyone’s jumping on the “freemium” sales model—or at least sticking their toes in the frothy water.

Here’s a site I did for EA Games to promote a free-download, free-play game called “Battlefield Heroes”. Sometimes owning a Mac means I don’t get to blow up cybervillians as much as I’d like!

This is what they call a “nom-nom”. Google it.

I prepared that stellar visual as a distraction so that I could keep my font sizes down. It worked. Sometimes it’s all I can do to keep a headline below 150pt bold; but everyone that reviewed this creative was too busy laughing at that silly house to give me the usual:
“Can we make the headline bigger?”