Society of Actuaries
INTERACTIVE TIMELINE — Click here for the live website
The Society of Actuaries needed an interactive Flash-based timeline showing how actuaries have influenced business since their profession began in the 1600s, and how those events have influenced connected events over time. These events also had to be further broken down by the type of business segment into which they fell. This timeline was one part of an overall strategy called “Living The Brand” that involved several more pieces developed by a outside public relations firm.
The final design uses balloons that drop down from the timeline above. Connected dates drop down in transparent gray balloons and magnetically attract to the selected entry. Color-coding is used to categorize the entries by professional disciplines and/or topics. Dates slide from left to right as needed using arrows on the ends of the timeline.
The initial goal was to attract 5,000 visitors to all the “Living The Brand” materials combined between April and December 2008. In the end, the timeline alone attracted 2,656 visitors, accounting for more than one-half of the desired metric in only three months. Members commented that the timeline is “very unique and creative,” “entertaining material” and is “very relevant to our efforts to promote the actuarial profession.” In March 2009, the timeline won a Silver Trumpet from the Publicity Club of Chicago for interactive work.
