The Story of Stuff
Role: Wireframes, Design, Illustration, & Production
Project Date: 2007 – 2011
Client: The Story of Stuff Project (For Free Range)
Do you have one of these?
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard is a 20-minute video describing the process from which all the products around us go from extraction from the Earth to manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and finally disposal. The video, which launched in 2007 as a project of Annie Leonard as sponsored by The Tides Foundation, has spawened a nationwide movement. I was fortunate enough to be the web designer working on the project, helping to define much of the aesthetic and functionality around the video.
When the video first launched, the website featured the video itself and more information for viewers to get involved. While that didn't stop it from winning the SXSW 2008 Interactive Web Award for Educational Resource, it became clear that a more robust site was necessary as the video quickly brought in millions of views, a special feat for a cause-based video that was 20-minutes long.
Over time, the site expanded to house The Story of Stuff Project, a fully-fledged nonprofit organization based around the viral hit, The Story of Stuff International, a specialty version of the site featuring multiple languages in which to view the video, and later on multiple videos as Free Range Studios worked with Annie Leonard to produce "The Story of..." videos on a variety of topics including carbon trading, bottled water, cosmetics, and electronics.