Harnessing Web 2.0: A Portfolio Serious Enough For Cartoons

ChemMotion Media is thrilled to collaborate with Rob Rogers, the political cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Projects that require a cooperative effort between multiple artists always yield exciting results, and this website is no exception. The challenge lay in exemplifying the quirky, whimsical, graphical style of Rob's cartoons within a minimalist, user-friendly structure. We hoped that the interface of the website would virtually disappear behind Rob's art, the way a good mat and frame disappears behind a painting.


We created this simple grid layout that hearkens back to the presentation used in comic books. This dynamically-updating portfolio site is powered by the popular social media site, tumblr. This allowed us to provide Rob with an easy-to-use interface where he can upload, caption, and tag his cartoons as he finishes and publishes them. His body of work then becomes part of a network of creative people who can then "reblog” (share) and follow (subscribe) to his portfolio updates. And nothing beats the support of such an established community to boost search engine ratings! With some custom scripting, we then created some exciting functionality and integrated Rob’s new tumblog into the aesthetics and framework of his existing site.

Rob loved his new easy-to-update gallery so much, we launched it early, before the launch of the rest of the site updates. We love the rich, layered aesthetic quality that our collaboration produced. Check it out here.