While working on a big media portal, I redesigned and added functionality to their content management system. This was a big achievement that really transformed the way the editors were able to publish content and so I was inspired to show the client what I had been built in a special presentation where  built the whole system out of cardboard. The highlights of this are above, and the whole presentation is at the end of this post.

It was a complicated project, not least because I was keen to show all the best features…

•  Changing pages - To do this I printed all the constituent parts of a few web pages onto some fabric that was then rolled up on one reel and fed across a wooden frame onto another reel the other side. I could then move between websites with a special handle on the side of the contraption
• Menu Buttons - All the menu buttons were just bits of cardboard that flipped down and were held in place with velcro
• Edit Buttons - The contextual edit buttons were also bits of cardboard with velcro that could be applied during the course of the presentation
• Architectural Diagram - I actually created an architecture diagram of sorts behind the main system with lights and various 3D versions of the real parts of the system.

Other facets of the presentation included…

• Playing droning music in the background from the moment people entered the room. I used a song called “austin, tx mental hospital, pt. 3″ by a band called Stars of the Lid. This added atmosphere and intrigue to the proceedings. I have used the same music in all craft presentations since to great success.
• A flash based presentation to accompany the talk with special hypnotic eyes animation of me. Again i felt that if people got bored of the content, they could at least sit back and get entranced by the music and drawn into the horror of my strange cartoon eyes. 
• A special presentation pointer with large cursor stuck on the end to make it look like I was sort of operating a giant computer 

The whole thing was a great success. The client really loved the model and almost bought it off me. I think there is definitely more mileage in this area and I am keen to build another system in 3D. Problem is I can’t really do another website without it being a bit too much like this one.

I submitted this video to a number of internal video contests and was lucky enough to win the Communications & High-Tech competition, albeit by being the only entry.

I wonder what SAP would look like if made by a child?