- Fig 01 / Content Strategy
Decision: Pull fans' Flickr photos, tweets and YouTube videos into the official site
Result: The site was a living canvas for the community already gathering around James
Documentary, Advocacy, & Identity
Connecting a World-Famous DJ with His Fans
Winner of Best Music Site at SXSW
Overview
- 01 / Problem
- James Zabiela is a British DJ known for experimenting with live performance and technology, and his fans were already posting photos, tweets and video of him across the web. His 2009 site had to bring that in.
- 02 / Design Challenge
- As Bluecadet's Lead Developer, Russ designed the interactions and built the site on Drupal, working from the visual designers' mockups.
- 03 / Approach
- Fan photos from Flickr, tweets and YouTube videos flowed into the site through a moderation queue. A persistent audio player kept music running between pages, with the mailing-list sign-up inside it.
- 04 / Outcome
- Captures from March 2009 show the site live; the case study's 2011 SXSW award needs checking against that date. No traffic data survives.
Process + Evidence Plates
The PHOTOS page — gallery navigation with a facebook link. Little text recovered; the page is its images. The site's navigation is consistent and short: news · tour · links · contact · shop · downloads · photos · video — with an email-capture field in the header on every page. - Fig 02 / Content Management
The archive's most interesting screen: unedited tweets as primary site content. "news · shop · photos · a random tweets", then a post dated 23 Mar 09, verbatim and unpolished — "I am trying to look like a pirate with this private plane in brazil but I was actually popping my pants" with a twitpic link. 185 words, the densest recovery here. A DJ's site publishing his own typos in 2009, which is a real editorial position about authenticity rather than an oversight. Decision: Aggregation + Moderation
Result: The editorial queue let fan-generated content flow in without James or his team losing editorial control
- Fig 03 / Interaction Design
A site capture with no recovered text — most likely the home or landing state, which on this site was image-led with a persistent audio player. Decision: Persistent beats
Result: The design strategy called for a cinematic flow between views. The site's audio player was core to that film experience. James' tracks brought continuity to visitors' exploration.
- Fig 04 / Digital Strategy
The DOWNLOADS page — fan assets as a product. ICONS · WALLPAPERS (1024×768) · BANNERS, with named files (James Zabiela Banner 1). Giving fans the raw material to represent him elsewhere is a distribution strategy, not a courtesy page. The site's navigation is consistent and short: news · tour · links · contact · shop · downloads · photos · video — with an email-capture field in the header on every page. Decision: Offer banners and assets for fans to publish
Result: Fans became a distribution channel
- Fig 05 / Interaction Design
Decision: A motion strategy set to James' music
Result: Intro, idle and outro sequences for every page transition. Visitors felt they were inside the DJ booth.
- Fig 06 / Content Management
Decision: Easy adoption
Result: Integration with Twitter let James keep the site current with a habit he already had, not a new one.
Recognition
South by Southwest (SXSW)
- Best Music Site