175 Years of Bertelsmann as an Interactive Experience

July, 01 2010 | http://www.chronikbertelsmann.com
Today marks the 175th birthday of Bertelsmann, a media concern with a rich tradition. Under the motto “175 years of Bertelsmann ? the legacy for our future” the company is celebrating with a gala and a new multimedia history that can be explored at http://www.chronikbertelsmann.com. This commemorative site features a whole host of texts, images, sound and film documents from the extensive Bertelsmann company archives, some of which have never been published before.
 
The introduction to the story takes the form of a floating cube that can be turned at will. Each of the cube’s sides represents one era of the company’s history. The virtual journey down through the years takes place along a time bar that contains milestones in the international concern’s development. Users can travel through time at will and have the chance at many stages of the journey to contribute their own personal memories, experiences and impressions and share them with other users.
 
checkpointmedia came up with the idea of the cube as a symbol of the many facets of the company and to show the six eras. The cube floats suspended in space so that it can be turned in any direction and used as a navigation instrument as well. Movement and interaction also play an important role in the time bar.
 
As well as the concept, checkpointmedia also created the pictorial presentation of the interactive history and, besides the time bar, developed an additional level where facts and personal memories meet. Interesting details are presented on the folded down base of a cube, supported by a wealth of multimedia features and quiz questions on Bertelsmann.
 
All these features and possibilities to select and navigate combine to make a user-friendly and vivid journey through the 175 years of the company’s history.