Why would Angle Park bother to state its philosophy? Hardly to be pretentious. Rather, we've tried to work through a philosophy because it defines the very nature of what we do for our clients and their audiences. We feel that the moment of contact between a participant and the content is magic, that the context of that contact is critical, and that our job is to close the loop to include both.

Part I: The Moment of Contact

Angle Park is dedicated to-and fascinated by-the moment of contact between participant and content. Philosophers have spent 2500 years debating what happens in the moment of cognition. Behavioral scientists have tried to capture the moment in studies and trials. Artists have labored, sometimes instinctively, sometimes to promote an agenda, to influence the moment by manipulating paint, clay, music, and camera.

If the goal is to communicate effectively, the moment of contact must draw the straightest possible line between the content and the participant. There should be nothing extraneous standing in the way, such as style, interface, or personality. The best communication requires an exhaustive search to find the simplest solution available, and simplicity should be paramount, even when addressing complex problems.

But while a simple approach is laudable, that is not to say that it should be simplistic. A simple approach respects each participant's ability to interact with the content by getting out of the way, helping to draw a straight line between participant and content. Simplistic approaches do the opposite, by attempting to stand in place of that interaction. The result can be distracting, condescending, or worst of all, manipulative, because it does not respect the participant's ability to make up his or her own mind about the message.

Like good visual or mechanical design, good communication design is intuitively clear and as effortless as possible for the participant. Achieving this goal is not easy. Angle Park's dedication to the moment of contact between participant and content goes hand-in-hand with a vigorous work ethic and commitment to delivering real value-not just to the client, but to the end participant.

Part II: Content, Context, and the Participant

For effective communication or motivation to occur, the content provider must carefully consider three components:

Content > Context < Participant

At first blush these considerations may seem obvious, but context is not often fully considered. A few examples:

Is it fruitful to force web site visitors to endure a thirty-second animated "branding" sequence every time they visit an informational site?

No, if in the context of an ever-crowding dotcom marketplace, those visitors can find a shorter path to the information they are seeking by simply clicking elsewhere.

Do dancing and lip-syncing bankers in a corporate "music video" really contribute to corporate team building?

No, if in the context of a conservative industry, those bankers feel uncomfortable during the shoot and foolish when the final product is played at an off-site meeting.

Can one expect a trade show visitor to learn much about a new product from a "shoot-'em-up" video game kiosk?

No, if in context, they spend precious booth-time learning how to use the interface to "blast their way to savings" rather than interacting with the product info or having a face-to-face conversation with a company rep.

When content producers ignore context, the end result can be confusing and counterproductive. Distractions such as cute interactive interfaces, flashy cinematic technique, and celebrity personality can often be more harmful than useful. Often, these techniques are pressed into service because they are the creative trend of the moment. But while each can be useful, they should be weighed carefully before use.

Context is not defined purely by the space a participant inhabits; it is also defined by participants themselves.

If clear communications is the goal, it requires a commitment not only to content, but to all aspects of the context, as well. Angle Park considers how the creative approach and delivery medium effect the context in which participants will interact with the content.

Part III: Closing the Loop

For the first time in history, digital delivery technology offers an avenue to approach participants in a nearly one-on-one manner. But, one must always consider the context of that interaction. A television viewer at home on the living room couch behaves differently than a streaming video viewer in an office cubicle. An exhibit visitor in a crowded museum behaves differently than one in an empty hall.

In addition, the context of a participant's behavior changes as technology evolves. In the early days of the world wide web, underlined blue text came to signify "click here to go to a new link." Years later, this has become an unquestioned interface convention for internet users. Yet even now, some web sites use underlined text merely for added typographic emphasis, but not as a navigation tool, confounding those who click on what appear to be links. Still others expect users to "discover" links embedded in normal looking text by way of a chance mouse roll-over.

Ignoring the context of years of web interface development in this way can be confusing, because it forces the visitor to "learn" new interface conventions by trial and error. In every such instance, the question should always be asked: "Does this do harm to the context in which the participant interacts with the content?"

This is not to say that rules are hard and fast and can't be broken. Angle Park works hard to "close the loop" by considering how traditional and digital delivery technology contributes to the context of a participant's relationship with content. Sometimes closing the loop requires a methodical approach, treating each element of the message as a unique communication problem that demands a unique solution. Sometimes it requires testing the approach with real people. Sometimes it manifests itself through "gut instinct" judgement calls based on past experience. In every case, Angle Park strives to use technology to deliver the clearest, most direct path between participant and content.