National Geographic
Website
2016
Creative lead & designer
Created while at Hello Monday
Emmy nominee in News & Documentary (IMDB)
The One Show, Golden Pencil
The One Show, Merit
Awwwards, SOTD
Awwwards, Developer Award
Awwwards, SOTM
The FWA, SOTD
3x Webby Winners
Cannes Lions Nominee
In 2017, National Geographic launched a tribute issue to Yellowstone National Park, highlighting the park's bears. During their research, they logged hours of footage straight from the bears’ perspectives, which they wished to translate into a digital, story-led experience. Leveraging this content, we crafted a unique Emmy-nominated website documentary exploring the bears’ journeys and ultimately supporting Yellowstone’s conservation efforts.
Concept
An interactive documentary follows the lives of two black bears and grizzly bears over the course of 60 days in Yellowstone National Park. Through an interactive map, immersive video, and audio, users can put themselves in the bears’ lives: from scavenging for food, defending their territory, to warm moments with other bears.
Researchers attached specially-designed camera collars to the bears to record their daily activities and natural behaviors directly from their perspective. And without any human interference. This created a truly authentic experience from which the viewer could build their empathy for the bears.
The camera provided researchers and viewers with an intimate and unprecedented glimpse into the Yellowstone bears’ lives, highlighting their interactions, migration patterns, and the ecosystems they inhabit, all from the bear’s point of view.
Concept
An interactive documentary follows the lives of two black bears and grizzly bears over the course of 60 days in Yellowstone National Park. Through an interactive map, immersive video, and audio, users can put themselves in the bears’ lives: from scavenging for food, defending their territory, to warm moments with other bears.
An editorial "copper stitch" style, often used in older prints, inspired the site's animations and illustrations. This lightweight sketch look, combined with frame-by-frame animation, created a unique glimpse into the bears' walking cycle that could easily loop.
