http://bf300.org/timeline/index.html

Night Kitchen Interactive - Timeline concept, design and development. - Optimization and integration of rich media content originally designed for kiosks

The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary’s (BF300) exhibition Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World ends its tour across the nation and abroad on March 2008. To expand its audience reach beyond the exhibition, the BF300 wanted to add an integral component to its online exhibitions – an interactive timeline that would capture the richness of the physical exhibit and convey the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin. Collaborating closely with the BF300, Night Kitchen Interactive designed an engaging and informative exhibit that presents a wealth of information about Franklin’s life. With aesthetics designed to appeal to audiences both young and old, the timeline reflects the vibrant colors of the physical exhibit and offers both a chronological and a themed approach to exploring Franklin’s character and genius. The content for the timeline amounts to over 150 entries representing facts, quotes, images of portraits and artifacts, as well as animations, interactive games, and videos adapted from the traveling exhibition.* To promote exploration of the timeline’s rich and diverse multimedia content, each item is identified by an icon that represents its type of content. Easy access to the BF300’s main website, other online exhibitions, and an artifact database is also available to online visitors seeking additional resources. The result is an exploratory treatment that immerses visitors in Benjamin Franklin’s world, thereby helping audiences gain a personal connection to his story. To further the learning impact of this interactive exhibit, the BF300 will make the timeline available to libraries across the country as an entertaining and fact-filled research tool. * Original interactive games, videos, and animated shorts were developed for kiosks by A More Perfect Union. These kiosk presentations were optimized for the Web and later integrated into the timeline by Night Kitchen Interactive.