American Haiku, The US independent agency that bills itself as “a new kind of creative agency from Brooklyn, New York”, has created a website that truly fits its “agency of tomorrow” promise. The unconventional site accurately embodies the agency’s approach to work, combining elements of entertainment, storytelling and design difference.
It begins with a rotating carousel of intro animations that feel like they offer a portal to a deep teenage enthusiasm for late night movies, 16-bit games and anime VHS, with a sense of new worlds to be discovered and explored. From then on, the graphic language of the site recalls the operating systems of camera equipment from an earlier digital age, tactile, a joy to discover, filled with system reboots, hidden extras and UX flourishes.
The visual identity draws deep inspiration from the bold expressiveness of Japanese anime, channelling its energy, dramatic contrasts, and stylised aesthetics into every graphic element. Typography plays a pivotal role, designed to bridge Japanese and Latin scripts – a reference to the company’s name, American Haiku, which comes from a quote by director, Errol Morris, about the art of advertising.
“Our aim was to create a playful and evocative experience – something that captures the spirit of our work, draws meaning from our name, and still feels uniquely our own,” stated American Haiku creative director, Ben Muckensturm. “We weren’t looking to build just ‘another agency website’ and our partners at Studio Temp understood that vision from the very beginning. Keeping our campaign work front and center while surrounding it with media-inspired controls and features gave us a creative framework that was both freeing and intentional.”
The team’s work can be viewed at a variety of aspect ratios, or with overlaid script, emphasising the craft behind their output, and giving users a peek behind the curtain of the decisions that go into making its beautifully-realised, aesthetically-focused work, (including some of its most exciting campaigns for brands like New Balance, Yahoo & Meta). The info page contains a video explaining the company’s ethos that ends with a provocation, What’s Your Story?
