Ico Design creates animated revamp for Society for General Microbiology website

Ico was first approached to work on the website in June 2009, according to Ico art director Steve Lloyd. He says the SGM came to Ico because of the consultancy’s experience working with other clients in the science sector, including the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Science Museum in London.

Lloyd says the aim of the project was to update the site and provide ’a broad range of appeal’. He adds, ’We wanted to make sure the site is suitable and attractive for children, families and independent adults.’

The site uses illustrations and animations produced in-house, with microbe illustrations created by Akira Chatani (pictured).

Lloyd says, ’Rather than just make lists of microbes, we wanted to create ways for people to explore and interact with them.’ An example of this is the Microbe Passport, an interactive feature populated by cartoon-style microbes, highlighting their different ’personalities’.

The site also hosts an interactive quiz, access to podcasts, and a series of downloadable resources. The new site will go live this month.