It's been a wonderfully busy year for us here at Odopod. We've experienced tremendous growth from hiring a ton of new talented people (and we're still looking for more) to taking on several new large digital accounts. Our Hack Days projects went on with great success, we celebrated our 10th anniversary and we launched some amazing work with our clients and partners around the world.

Here's a look back at some of things we've done in 2010 with a huge thanks to all of those who contributed to our incredible year.

DonQ Master Of All Skills :: Routesy 3 :: Golden Gate Park Field Guide :: Sony PIIQ Facebook
Sony PIIQ Showcase :: Tesla Motors :: DonQ Rum :: YouTube Trends
Sony HD TV with 3D :: Flock Social Browser :: Sony BRAVIA :: Ford Fiesta Movement
EA Download Manager :: Sony Internet TV :: UFC.com :: PlayStation Redesign

At Odopod we love projects that challenge us to make information accessible, relevant, digestible and engaging. That’s why we were really excited when YouTube approached us to help make the YouTube Trends project a reality.

YouTube Trends allows users to get a timely view of what’s being watched around the world as well as use tools to compare viewership across cities, states, countries and age ranges. If you haven’t heard about it yet, watch this entertaining video introduction featuring the Gregory Brothers.

The project presented an interesting set of challenges. First of all, with the immense wealth of viewership data that YouTube has at its disposal, how could we slice the information to make it relevant? How could we make the data accessible in meaningful ways? What interactions could we add that would provide value without getting in the way of the experience? What existing Google tools could we leverage to get the job done right?

The vision was for YouTube Trends to become part of the YouTube brand universe and even though it couldn’t be too much of a departure from an aesthetic point of view, it definitely needed to be an exciting new product with a unique voice. So it was our goal to help define an identity and design that would remain on brand but could also stand on its own. Ultimately, the design had to serve as a great vessel for all the content to come.

More after the jump »

The California Academy of Sciences and Odopod came together to make a pretty awesome iPhone app to navigate all the great features, wildlife and landmarks inside Golden Gate Park. It's called the Golden Gate Park Field Guide and you can pick it up in the App Store.

Last weekend I decided to test it out for an adventure. The thing about the park is that it's massive and if you don't know what you're doing or where you're going, it's very easy to get lost. There are museums and lakes, bison and waterfalls, plants and animals, gardens and playgrounds. Having an app like this one to know where all these hidden gems are is incredibly useful.

The app is filled with all kinds of activities. You've got Sightings where you can report exact locations of the wildlife you've seen. There are Scavenger Hunts where you try your luck at finding specific species at varying degrees of difficulty and Nature Walks to choose from. You can also simply browse a list of all the species in the park and learn about their histories.

I chose the Nature Walk, "Around Stowe Lake" (with handy Time, Distance and Difficulty indicators) and went on to explore and learn the lay of the land.

With the app in hand, arriving at the location was super easy - especially since it's location aware and knew exactly where I was within the park at all times. The trail and all of the way points were marked clearly on the map indicating start and end points and all the really neat landmarks along the way. I started at the Boathouse and made my way along the route.

Each milestone marker in the interface offered a bit of history about that location. Some points had little tips, others had insights and trivia. I walked around the lake finding things I never even knew were there, hiked up hills with stunning views of San Francisco, came back down again snapping tons of pictures, and managed to spot turtles and birds and fish and other creatures that I failed to report in the app, but I could have.

In total, I spent about two hours on the walk, exploring, taking pictures and enjoying nature, giving a proper moment to each of the waypoints along the tour. I could have easily stayed all day as there are so many other adventures to take - some on bikes, some on foot, some long, some short - all available in this remarkable app for those with a sense of curiosity and adventure. I will be back to use it again soon.

Learn more about the Golden Gate Park Field Guide »
Available now in the App Store »

Every Halloween, odosketch artists create some amazing, spooked-out sketches. This year, we've gathered up some of our favorite creatures and characters that make these fall festivities so much fun, created by the talented people of odosketch.

Happy Halloween!

We're thrilled to announce the site launch of the new Sony Internet TV with Google TV! Visit a playful world where you can explore video question and answers, tweets and specs about the new TV - a perfect place to get excited about the future of television. Let us know what you think.

Sony Internet TV »

Today we announced to the world the launch of the new UFC.com. Check of the full press release:

Over the last five years UFC President Dana White has listened intently as fans spoke about the kind of web site they want. About how the site should look, and what it should do. Some of these conversations took place in restaurants and on sidewalks, others on the arena floor and at Q&As. Others through text, Twitter and email. But no matter where, or how, the message was communicated, he heard it and shared the concepts with the team at the UFC.

Today, after a year of work involving a project team of designers, programmers and technicians across three companies led by digital agency Odopod, White officially introduced to fans the brand new UFC.com.

Read the full article »

Over the last year we've been fully immersed in the intense world of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. We've been a part of everything from a behind the scenes look at how an event comes together to experiencing super fandom at the UFC Fan Expo.

From the beginning, our digital agency of record relationship has been highly collaborative starting with deep strategic conversations with the UFC's executive team on how the brand can grow digitally and globally. From there, we've been involved with every detail including platform development with multiple partners, innovative digital advertising methods and design and execution over a number of devices such as the Roku and mobile phones.

We're extremely proud to finally announce the launch of the new UFC.com. With a slick navigation, a powerful new visual language and a clearer focus on fights, fighters and how to watch, the new site is easier to use, brings in key social interactions from the fans and fighters and offers tons of compelling content for regulars and new visitors alike - and is meant to evolve and grow as fast as the sport itself.

As UFC President Dana White says, "This is just the start – we are gonna continue to build this thing into the best web site in sports.”

Check it out »

We're thrilled to announce our latest collaboration with our friends at Undercurrent - the new DonQ! The site is filled with some slick features, including a cocktail recipe finder filled with delicious DonQ libations and an interactive infographic demonstrating DonQ's sustainable rum making process. The site is also filled with countless moments of delight all made possible through loads of HTML, Javascript and SVG goodness.

We're really proud of the work and it's always nice to celebrate with a little product from the client.

Check it out »
Read more about the project »

Communication Arts so graciously featured the work and the culture of Odopod in the 2010 Photography Annual. We hope you enjoy the article.

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Communication Arts
Photography Annual July/August 2010
By Sam McMillan

Odopod
On the spacious sunlit second floor of the San Francisco loft they call simply, The Studio, 30 of Odopod's production staff are quietly at work. Arrayed in three long columns, worktables are placed end-to-end and front to-front. Each column constitutes a multidisciplinary team of graphic designers, interaction designers, programmers and art production staffers. The close quarters means the teams constantly face each other, and have no choice but to engage and interact with one another.

The physical layout of the Studio is modeled on small independent production studios that hark back to Odopod's genesis eight years ago. As Odopod matures and grows, co-founder and creative director Tim Barber explains that the floor plan is a way of maintaining the creative energy, jump-starting the free-flow of ideas and sharing resources. Between the columns, the teams are matrixed to encourage cross-team communication. So a programmer can simply turn around and ask a member of another team for advice, help troubleshooting or just extend an invitation to get lunch.

Each team is led by an associate creative director and a senior producer. The arrangement is "a legacy of our training as architects," Barber says. 'We're still fascinated by the idea of shaping spaces to help us work and interact better." It seems to be working.

At a time when many agencies are downsizing, Odopod is thriving, winning new clients, capturing every award in sight, generating huge industry buzz and, yes... hiring. Today, Odopod creates digital marketing for clients like Nike, Sony and Red Bull that want to reach an audience on the Web.

Read the full article »

Tesla Motors has had a big year. The brand new Roadster 2.5 was just unveiled. Last week, they debuted a much anticipated public stock offering with investors hot for shares. In May, they announced a partnership with Toyota to build vehicles in Northern California. And even before, the announcement that a more affordable sedan, the Model S, would soon be available, brought excitement to masses.

Today, we share some of our own big news with Tesla. As their digital agency of record, Odopod has spent the past several months on our first assignment with their team: reinventing the brand online. With the launch of the new Tesla Motors Website, we focused on designing an experience that makes owning an electric car easy by communicating complex technologies in simple, accessible ways, bringing the car to the center stage and letting the owners tell their stories all within a clean and compelling interface.

We're thrilled to be a part of the Tesla vision and to work on such an innovative and progressive brand. Our goal is to seamlessly connect all aspects of the Tesla customer experience - from the website to the showroom and on the road as we continue to work together into the future.

Check out the site »
Read more about the work »