Concept:

The American Nile was an interactive digital experience developed for National Geographic, designed to highlight the decline of the Colorado River and its impact. It combined compelling storytelling with immersive web design to engage audiences and drive awareness.

Design:

Built using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, the project utilized a custom parallax jQuery library to create a seamless, layered storytelling experience. It was the first National Geographic site to feature parallax elements, introducing innovative web-first functionality like pausing streaming video and audio on scroll, as well as before-and-after photo transitions.

Challenges:

The project required balancing high-impact visual storytelling with technical performance, ensuring smooth animations and interactivity across various devices and browsers. Collaboration between editorial and sales teams was crucial to maintaining narrative depth and sponsor integration.

Vision:

To drive real-world impact, The American Nile set new standards in interactive storytelling and played a key role in influencing policymakers. It garnered record-breaking web traffic (120 million views in the first month), received hundreds of awards, and contributed to securing increased funding for affected regions.