Christmas Microsite

Every year Iris Worldwide sent a Christmas card to clients. In 2016, the brief was simple: build something that generates random ads. What it looked like, how it worked, what it felt like, that was entirely open. I had one concept, and it was steampunk. ⤵

The machine worked by defining 5 ingredients into the mix: genre, budget, happiness, cuteness, cheesiness, feels, and soundtrack, to generate a randomly generated ad. The interaction model was clear. What needed defining was the world around it.

The steampunk direction had been sitting in the back of my mind for a while. Then I watched Alice Through the Looking Glass, and there was a machine in it that could show the past, present, and future. That was the visual metaphor, a machine that takes your inputs and produces something unexpected on the other side. I built moodboards, references, wireframes, mockups, icons, and vectors, and handed everything to the 3D designer to bring the physical machine to life.

I designed the full concept and visual system, the steampunk machine interface with five controllers and a 1930s-inspired television that rotated to reveal the generated ad. The control panel was tactile and playful; the output screen had enough visual weight to feel like a reveal moment.

The microsite worked across both desktop and mobile. Alongside it, I designed the Christmas email sent to all clients, carrying the same visual language so the whole thing felt like a connected campaign rather than a one-off digital card. The concept landed well enough that the agency decorated their Christmas tree in the Ad-O-matic theme, which is probably the best brief outcome I’ve ever had.

The team was small: me on concept and design, one 3D designer, two developers, one motion graphic designer, and the creative directors who had the initial idea. I made it real.