“Fun and functional”; Anyways launches a new digital home for its projects

For anyone working in the creative world, running into portfolio sites can become just another part of the working day, and there are lots of them. So when Anyways Creative – our sister company here at It’s Nice That – began the process of relaunching its website, the aim was to not get swept up in other approaches they’d seen elsewhere. “It was important to me that we create something that distinctly feels like ‘us’”, explains creative director Ellen Turnill Montoya. “Fun and functional” were the descriptors the team came up with for the site, calling in digital design studio TwoMuch to help deliver the new direction.

It’s the first site revamp for Anyways following a rebrand and relaunch of the agency in 2016. Since then, we’ve seen campaigns, self-initiated projects and numerous collaborations come from the agency; including a dreamlike demo film for Google Pixel’s Magic Eraser and a low energy website investigating the effects of digital hoarding. This range of work ultimately became the driving force behind the refresh. “We wanted to create a new digital home which really celebrates these projects,” says Ellen, “and the journey we have gone on over the past few years too.”

One of the first changes is a new landing page. Serving to signpost the agency’s personality and offer a first glimpse into its work, the design features the Anyways logomark, encircled by animated icons, each representing a separate project (the logomark jumps apart to show new projects as you linger on the page). Ellen explains, “Over the journey of Anyways, we have always had a charming and interactive moment on visit, and so we wanted to keep this tradition going too!” Anyways plans to add to this page as its case studies evolve so that it can function as a “growing” window into the agency, spotlighting projects, collaborators or “big moment takeovers”. The playful motion design extends into other areas too, appearing via an interactive footer and in subtle animations across case study tiles.

For users looking to dive deeper into the agency’s work, Anyways has updated case studies so that you can scroll through project tiles for a quick summary, or click through to see the context behind them. Elsewhere, a News & Views section provides a space for the agency to share further insights on projects, longer-form reflections as well as big announcements.

Beginning the process with conversation with clients and collaborators, the Anyways team also looked through other sites and digital experiences that inspired them “and some that didn’t and asked ourselves why”. Ellen says: “We took all of these thoughts and delved into specific areas of the website to work out what we could do better.” TwoMuch Studio worked on a selection of design routes. “Along this journey we discovered together that simple and clear was best, supported by charming moments (like the landing page) to bring our personality to life.”