"A huge part of self-promotion is distinguishing yourself from your peers, Dan Noe has done just that; his site is unique, engaging and has a ton of personality." —juror Jonathan Hills

"I thought this was a beautifully executed, really clever portfolio with a kinetic, upbeat energy. It not only does a great job of selling Dan's work but his personality." —juror Melissa Haworth

Overview: Drawing on an action-figure aesthetic, this site provides a quirky home for the personal and professional work of designer Dan Noe. Its self-effacing images and unorthodox layout make it a pleasant way to get acquainted with its owner.

• Over 200 individual images
• 1 person team, 2- to 3-week development time
• Flip animation made with After Effects and Flash

Comments by Dan Noe:
"I've used this site as a place to archive and showcase my work, but it's also always been a creative outlet. It's a way for me to test new ideas, new technologies and just have some fun. Because I'm not constrained by corporate limitations, I can really let my imagination go wild.

"Comics (the characters, stories and illustrations) fascinated me as a kid. I spent endless hours studying them and I would practice drawing my favorites. They continue to be an influence on me; I share my workspace with dozens of action figures, but one character in particular really contributed to this site. If you're familiar with comic book heroes, you'll recognize the 'hulked-out' green and magenta color scheme immediately.

"This iteration of my site is a tribute to a time in my life when I watched from the sidelines and enjoyed the adventures the characters had. Now that I'm able to, I've put myself right in the middle of the action by turning myself into an action figure! I've borrowed some of the familiar marketing devices employed by the toy industry and used them to communicate my own messages.

"I made a concerted effort to forget about the boundaries I place on myself in my day-to-day design work. That is, file size was no longer a main concern, nor was the overall dimension of the site. Instead, I catered this project to a much smaller, more Web-savvy audience. The end result is a fun, playful site focused on my 'character.'"