In the Driver's Seat

Fame Foundry has partnered with NASCAR driver Ryan Newman to develop his new official website. The site is home to the Ryan Newman Fan Club, which marks its 10th anniversary in 2011 with over 10,000 fans worldwide. When the site, which has been completely redesigned and re-engineered from the ground up, is unveiled on February 16, it will introduce a revolutionary new experience for fan club members that will allow them to be part of every race and every event like never before.

More than killer design

The new RyanNewman.org will offer all the expected benefits of a fan club site, including schedules, stats and merchandise as well as behind-the-scenes photos, videos and news from the Ryan Newman Racing organization. However, more importantly, it will be the only site of its kind in NASCAR built around an exclusive members-only micro social network. Here members can engage with other fans of Ryan Newman and NASCAR in ways never before possible as part of a thriving virtual community created by and for the fans.

Micro social network, major engagement

"Fame Foundry created something never seen before, allowing members to interact in new ways and providing them a central location to call their own." – Ryan Newman Members can post their own photos and videos to the site, making the community as much about the fans as it is about Ryan Newman. They can also participate in discussions that are much more robust than traditional message boards, as they are interactive and pervasive throughout all types of content and every event. In addition, fans can interact in real time anytime in live chat rooms. All photos, videos, discussions, news and chats will be aggregated by event so members can choose to browse content either by type or by event. The site is built to elevate the most popular member photos, videos and discussions, rewarding those who make great contributions and making it easy for members to find the best content. Additionally, each member will have an enhanced user profile page that provides a snapshot of all their recent activity across the site and highlights their most popular contributions. While the technology driving the site is quite advanced, the interface is highly intuitive so that members of all ages will find it easy and pleasurable to use. Fans can even remain active in the community when they are on the go, as the site is compatible with mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines

Because racing fans thrive on competition, members who start discussions or who post photos and videos can earn points – or votes – from other members that will put them in the chase for a spot on the fan club leaderboard. Points will be tallied all season long, with prizes awarded to the top performer each month as well as the top overall points earner for the season.

Giving fans and sponsors what they really want

"It has been exciting to watch the Ryan Newman website come to life,” said Newman. “The site is much more than its cool design. Fame Foundry created something never seen before, allowing members to interact in new ways and providing them a central location to call their own. It also provides more value to our sponsors than we have ever had before." “We are looking forward to launching the new Ryan Newman website,” said Greta Ray Anderson, director of the Ryan Newman Fan Club. “Not only will fan club members be able interact in meaningful ways with each other on the site, but Ryan will have his own profile, allowing him to engage with members directly by posting status updates, photos, videos and comments. RyanNewman.org will now become the exclusive go-to destination for the Ryan Newman fan community.” For a tour of the site and its many unprecedented features, check out this exclusive preview.

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Finding Website Design Inspiration in Nature

Website design inspiration can be found in any number of places, from art galleries and instruction books to online showcases and portfolios, just to name a few. But to tap into one of the most profound and limitless sources of timeless design ideas, you must put down the books, step away from the keyboard and walk outside. For any and every aspect of design, nature is the true master. After all, what human artist could surpass nature in its ability to mix colors, create textures, evoke emotion and balance form and function?

Color

The challenge of striking the right balance of color and tone can test the mettle of even the most seasoned designer. There are many resources online that can help you experiment with color and try out palettes, but there is no better source to guide you than nature. Nature has an uncanny ability to blend just the right tones and hues to achieve visual harmony. In the world around you, you can find a perfectly balanced palette to match every emotion, every mood and every purpose. Drawing upon nature’s palettes can make your website just as unique as the landscape from which it takes its inspiration, providing a distinctive feel that will be a welcome breath of fresh air in comparison to the cold corporate websites your customers have grown tired of. One of the best ways to use the colors found in nature is to create a palette based on a photograph. There are several web-based tools that allow you to do this. Simply upload an image, and these tools will automatically generate a palette that you can apply in your design. Resources: PHOTOCOPA: http://www.colourlovers.com/photocopa Color Hunter: http://www.colorhunter.com/ Image to Color Palette Generator: http://www.cssdrive.com/imagepalette/

Texture

Nearly all textures found on the Web are designed to emulate real textures found in nature. When implemented in conjunction with typography, color and lighting, these textures create a browsing environment that feels more organic and engaging to the end user. Textures also play a key role in interface design. Applying natural textures to page components such as buttons, sliders and forms can make them feel more tactile and provide important visual cues to guide users as they interact with your site, especially on touch-based platforms. Resources: Bittbox: http://www.bittbox.com/category/freebies Zen Textures: http://zentextures.com Image*After: http://www.imageafter.com/textures.php

Mood

Nature can provide inspiration for any mood or mindset your web design strives to create. When it comes to tone and emotion, nature covers the full spectrum. Fog and rain reflect sorrow or melancholy. Bright sun and blue skies convey joy, hope and purity. Wide-open landscapes and the infinite cosmos evoke a sense of adventure and excitement. And what says tranquility and peace better than the white sandy beaches of a Caribbean island? Using natural scenery is an effective way to create an aura for your website. By employing large-scale images of beautiful landscapes as a focal point, you grab the user’s attention and immediately engage them emotionally. As soon as a visitor lands on your site, they step into an enticing virtual environment that compels them to explore deeper.

Utility

There’s much more to good website design than finding the right combination of colors and textures. At its best, website design solves problems – finding the most effective ways to communicate a mission, to capture the essence of a brand, to tap into the psyche of a customer and to create want and desire. Nature is unmatched in its capacity for solving problems. Nature designs things to work efficiently within the many particular nuances of the surrounding environment. Everything found in nature – from the tallest mountain to the tiniest microscopic organism – is designed in a specific way to accomplish a specific goal. To attract or to blend in. To shelter, to protect or to evade. The same rules apply to good web design: every individual element must be planned and implemented to serve a specific purpose. In this way, nature serves as inspiration not only to designers but to architects and engineers as well.

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Gallery of websites inspired by nature

huxleyprairiefest.com

blueridgeparkway.org

eastpoint.org

enneasportswear.com

garnierbody.com.br

helpyourhabitat.org

imaginamos.com

raisetheroofproductions.com

sproutlet.io

swissside.com

traderjoes.com

whitelotusaromatics.com

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