DK is thrilled about our CableFAXIES Award for the Motorola GPON HD video in the Use of Video category.

An immersive insight into the lifestyle of the ultra broadband user, the GPON video is a first person glimpse into user interface interaction, ultimately demonstrating the increasing consumer demand for bandwidth. Shot at the DK office in one afternoon, the team filmed in front of a green sheet of paper proportional to the physical size of the screen, taped to a whiteboard. Our multimedia team mathematically mapped out where and when the ‘user’ should touch the paper to directly match the designs, casting our intern’s hand as the lead. Shooting chroma-key footage with an HD camera on solid state media with compositing done in After Effects, the team was able to seamlessly add the animation to the hand’s movement to accurately illustrate the interactive potential of the broadband experience.

Marvel Studios' premier franchise, “Iron Man 2”, blasted into theaters on May 7, bringing in an extraordinary $133.6 million during its opening weekend. A tremendous success, the summer blockbuster’s action-packed national promotion that kicked off earlier this month has been keeping the summer comic book film at top-of-mind among adults and kids at virtually every imaginable touchpoint.

In anticipation of the release, Marvel Entertainment and Paramount Pictures partnered with returning sponsor BURGER KING® and Designkitchen, a division of Wunderman Worldwide, LLC and member of the WPP family, to create and develop a heavy online presence at Club BK® — including a custom-designed “Iron Man 2” game, suitably called Zoom Space.

Bringing the power and altitude of "Iron Man" into the Club BK® experience, kids are faced with the challenge to help Tony Stark navigate his new suit design and take it higher than it has ever been before. Integrating key educational overlays such as hand-eye coordination, colors and shapes, and multitasking, kids must navigate through the sky — steering their way toward power-ups and dodging flying obstacles. The higher they ascent, the more Club BK® Crowns they can earn and redeem for fun virtual items.

A truly immersive gaming experience, “Iron Man 2” Zoom Space is just one of many major promotions that Designkitchen has partnered with and created experiences for. Past collaborations include "G.I. Joe," "Star Trek," "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards," "Transformers" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

The Sears Blue Crew has arrived in the home of shoppers everywhere. Their goal: help Sears customers make the most intelligent buying decisions during their online shopping experience.

Activating the Blue Crew in the digital space, Designkitchen and Y&R Chicago joined forces to create the first ever dot com destination for the team, fondly called The Sears Blue Crew HQ. An immersive 3D experience that serves up contextual content as you explore, here customers can get the same real-time information, advice, pricing and exposure to Sears programs and initiatives as they do in-store, in an entertaining and advanced way.

A leap ahead of the competition, the onset of instantaneous information empowers the customer by giving them the tools they need to make smart shopping choices for themselves. Responsive digital and social experiences create meaningful relationships with customers in a personalized manner, enhancing momentum, driving customers to the Sears dot com space and improving intent to purchase both online and offline.

Delivering on the ubiquitous Blue Crew tenets, this ultimate online resource also serves to educate consumers about Sears commitment to service — further positioning Sears as America’s most trusted advisor for home life improvement. Ever-evolving, the Sears Blue Crew HQ has just gotten started. Over time it will continue to grow in scale and capabilities, learning users’ engagement patterns to deliver tailored experiences, and regularly adding fresh content, disruptive media and exciting activities and games for them to interact with and share.

Designkitchen is thrilled to unveil our latest mobile endeavor.

The Allstate Corporation’s first ever mobile application, Allstate Mobile is a comprehensive tool that gives users access to policy details, claim information and accident support while on-the-go.

Built on a framework that can syndicate to multiple devices, Allstate Mobile delivers an all-in-one configuration compatible with mobile platforms from iPhone and Blackberry to Android and Windows Mobile. Exposed on every application, we couldn’t help but share it.

Designkitchen’s VP of Creative Technology, Cameron Friedlander, will attend the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit May 3-6 in Santa Monica, CA. Joining some of the most influential players in the tech world, he will take part in discussing the top business issues impacting technology and entertainment today.

On May 4th, Cameron will address the influence of the Smartphone and iPad on the future of mobile platforms — their features, network capabilities and consumers’ expectations. Drawing on his passion for organic user interfaces and vision for experiencing real-time information on multiple devices cross-platform, Cameron’s focus rests on driving engagement.

The Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit, co-produced by Variety and Digital Hollywood, serves to create a round-table environment that invites attendees and speakers alike to engage, debate and define the latest technological developments in the entertainment industry.

As if they didn’t work hard enough, two of our very own voluntarily dared to work even harder. DK designer, Sarah Roarty and flash developer, Ferro Boyd participated in the USA Today 2010 Cannes Young Lions competition (in their free time) and walked away with third place in the Cyber category!

Teams were asked to create ads to activate U.S sports fans’ support for the prevention and treatment of malaria in conjunction with the World Cup.

Proud of their award-winning submission and the opportunity to compete, the team says “it challenged us to think unconventionally, come up with ground-breaking ideas and bring them to life in a very short amount of time.”

Check out Sarah and Ferro’s impressive work along with their stiff competition.

The Webby Awards, the leading international award recognizing excellence on the web, named the Oprah’s Angel Network web site an Official Honoree in the Community category.

The Oprah’s Angel Network is dedicated to inspiring individuals to make a difference in communities all over the globe. Empowering visitors to reach their full potential and join together to cultivate change, the site serves as an online hub for members to post and share their most memorable volunteer experiences and support others in their mission to make a difference.

Fewer than 15% of the over 8,000 entries submitted were recognized as Official Honorees. Designkitchen, in partnership with Oprah’s Angel Network, is proud of the distinction and extends gratitude to the Webby Awards.

The Webby Awards, the leading international award show honoring brilliance on the web, has recognized the Wheaton College 150th Anniversary web site as a Webby nominee in the School/University category.

The sesquicentennial site is a celebration of Wheaton’s vast achievements and serves to commemorate its extensive educational history. Featuring an interactive digital timeline, the narrative exploration is an invitation to experience Wheaton’s past and celebrate its future.

We’re thrilled to share this honor with Wheaton College. Wish us luck!

Cameron Friendlander, VP of Creative Technology at Designkitchen, is currently representing DK at the 2010 Mirren New Business Conference in New York this week.

Focusing on new business insight, trending and strategy, over 400 of the most innovative agencies in the country have joined to examine new business best practices and take away progressive strategies for converting new business. Held over a three day period, the Conference has gathered some of the best minds in agency new business strategy to speak on various topics.

Designkitchen is shining a little brighter as we welcome the addition of our new RACie Awards! In partnership with Y&R Chicago, DK took home two awards during the 7th Annual Retail Innovation & Marketing Conference in San Francisco, CA this month.

Celebrating our collaborative work on the Sears Back to School 2009 campaign and web site, DK and Y&R received a Gold RACie in the Integrated Media Campaign category. DK was also awarded a Silver RACie in the Web Site Experience category.

Judging on creativity, strategy, results and innovation, the RACie Awards serve to highlight the best retail ads, commercials, digital efforts and other communication materials of the past year.

Designkitchen is proud to announce the launch of MyChicago Trip – the new online trip advisor for the Chicago Convention of Tourism Bureau!

Bringing new user experience to the CCTB planner, DK developed the digital presence to enhance the Chicago stay on both a business and personal level. The visually engaging interactive planner gives visitors a glimpse into the endless possibilities that await them in Chicago – understanding users through a series of questions and producing an itinerary customized to their preferences.

The CCTB is dedicated to highlighting Chicago’s world-class features on a global scale to continue to underline the city as a top destination spot.

Designkitchen is thrilled about our spot in the CableFAX Best of the Web Awards finals in the Social Media Campaign category for our work on the Motorola – Share the Experience campaign!

The cable industry’s top honor in digital space, the CableFAX Best of the Web Awards are dedicated to recognizing exceptional web sites and digital innovation by cable programmers, operators, vendors and associations alike.

Awards will be presented in New York City on April 28, 2010. See here for the complete list of honorees.

Senior Information Architect, Cristin Siegel, teamed up with Target Marketing Magazine to pen a series of eCommerce inspired articles to be featured quarterly in the publication. In the first of four, Cristin gives direct marketers insight on improving lead and e-mail address capture processes– emphasizing marketers’ responsibility to make it easy for consumers to engage in a relationship with the brand.

Target Marketing Magazine is dedicated to bringing marketing professionals hands-on, how-to information on direct marketing strategies and solutions that deliver profitable results.

See here for more of Cristin’s tricks of the trade.

Communication Arts, a leading creative resource dedicated to delivering inspiration to the visual communications industry, has recognized DK’s work on the Wheaton College site with its Webpick of the Day award.

Featuring innovative examples of web design, Communication Arts Webpicks are selected based on exceptional functionality, aesthetic, technical expertise and overall user experience. Congratulations to Wheaton and the DK team!

DMNews invited our very own VP of Strategy, Matt Simpson, to give his two cents on three featured campaigns in “The Work” section of the site and publication. Detailing the marketing problem, solution and result, DMNews turned to Simpson for some insight – shedding light on the ins and outs of marketing strategy.

Here’s what he had to say.