Graphic artists (and photo nerds) have always enjoyed browsing the vast image archive at Getty Images. Well, the browsing just got a whole lot trippier. Linked off of Getty’s “Creative” search page (by way of some hypnotizing little neon graphics) is “10 Ways,” an experimental online funhouse that allows visitors to “explore” different dimensions of visual language (using Getty images, of course) through interactive Shockwave videos.
For all you deep thinkers out there, Getty offers a conceptual idea behind each interactive experience—but really, what’s the fun in that? I say ignore the tiny text and go right to the pretty pictures (you might want to pop some popcorn while you wait for the player to load, though—some of these things are molasses slow). My personal favorite “way” of choice, “Informa-tion,” actually begins rather unpleasantly, with a close-up of a man’s splotchy red face, but it rapidly becomes fascinating. As you click the picture to zoom in, you find that it is made up of hundreds of smaller images, each one linked to-gether in what feels like a never-ending chain of photos.
Believe me, once you start, it’s hard to stop—it’s a surprisingly addictive time sink, providing hours (or at least minutes) of visual fun. And there’s more where that came from: You can do anything from take a “visual mood test” to travel through surreal space on the 10 Ways site. While some of the videos could use a little more direction, and may leave you wondering why you just spent 15 minutes watch-ing colored dots bounce around in the woods, that’s the fun of it. In fact, the site is so stimulating and visually imaginative, it creates an entirely new category: on-line advertising you can actually enjoy!—Ashley Sisti
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