HARD HATS OFF TO BIONIC!

We've just delivered a great little Flash site for our friends at the British Toy and Hobby Association as part of their on-going work to promote toy safety to a wider audience. Bionic were approached by the BTHA to design and build the site which could be accessed by a number of different parties including the press, schools and parents. (http://www.toysafetyfacts.com)

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) was founded in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today, the Association has 148 members who, between them, are responsible for over 95% of the British market for toys and games, valued at £2.1 billion.

The BTHA represents the interests of the toy industry on a national and international level, addressing issues and commercial problems which could have a profound effect on the toy business. With Brussels becoming a stronger force, the BTHA is taking a leading role in European discussions and decision making, ensuring that the UK's toy industry is at the forefront of international affairs.

The objective for the site is to ensure that all aspects of toy safety and manufacturing testing are highlighted in an entertaining and informative manner.

Bionic presented a number of different creative approaches before finally reaching a decision on the most engaging direction for the site. As we're promoting toy safety, why not place the site within a dolls house?

All the elements associated with toy safety were distributed across the house with the user able to navigate between rooms. In addition to the house, Bionic added a ‘human guide’ to walk visitors through the site advising on areas to explore as well as providing additional pieces of toy safety information.

Working with our film crew we conducted a half day blue screen shoot before editing and dropping our guide into the house - have a look at the little video below and watch the magic unfold...

Accessibility was an important consideration for the site and so our guide's dialogue was accompanied with subtitles with both functions able to be turned on and off as users wished once they were familiar with the site and its contents.

As the build commenced it became apparent the contents could become overly technical and ‘serious’ to hold some visitors attention. To overcome this this we decided to present information with creative reflective of the toy industry such as toy blister packaging, softer, youthful fonts and mini quizzes.

In addition to text based information within the site, Bionic undertook a days shoot at a testing laboratory, adding a voice over in post to reinforce the stringent testing toys have to pass in the UK before they can be sold at retail.

More content will be added to the site over the course of the next 12 months, updating content and adding new and fresh areas. The dolls house approach allows for additional information to be included and has been produced with future proofing in mind. Our trusty builders are ready and waiting on stand by to build the necessary extension once planning permission has been received...

We're thrilled, as are the BTHA with the final results but why not take a look and judge for yourself?

If you'd like to see what we could do for you and your brands why not get in touch? We'd love to hear from you.

Paul Walker
Bionic Communications Ltd.
Centre Square, 1-9 Hardwicks Way, Wandsworth, London SW18 4AW

Tel : 0207 198 8320
Web : www.bionic-comms.co.uk