Project Type
//
Focus Features + Fandango
The Hawking Effect
UI & Visual Design + Animation + Development
overview //
Quick—list three standout names in pop culture. Chances are, “Stephen Hawking” didn’t make your list. So when Fandango challenged HYFN to engage and activate millennials with “The Theory of Everything”, a 2015 romantic drama about Stephen Hawking, we knew we had to find a way to make the genius physicist relevant today. In-depth research proved that Stephen Hawking is a legend even in today’s media—from Star Trek to The Simpsons, Legally Blonde to Pink Floyd. Combining the minds behind Creative and Development, we devised an interactive grand taxonomy chart that would engage users to discover unique, personal connections to Mr. Hawking. Through a bit of experimentation, D3.js quickly became our development library of choice, with several animation customizations of course. When it came to social, creating shareable images quickly posed itself as a significant problem that needed a smart solution, simply based on the sheer quantity of possible connections (several hundreds). Rather than manually create an asset for each possible connection, we tapped into our taxonomy once again, creating application that sourced all possible connections, replaced assets, and exported final shareable images in a matter of seconds.
team //
Creative Direction
Scott Mallone
Nick Boes
UI + Visual Design
Nick Boes
Matt Webster
UX + Research
Melissa Wedeen
Aislynn Shevlin
Matt Webster
Art Direction
Nick Boes
Development
Scott Burton
Owen Masback
Matt Webster
Production
Kim Howe

Awwwards
Stephen Hawking Effect // Pick of the Day
Honorable Mention // Dec 9, 2014
Project Type
//
Focus Features + Fandango
The Hawking Effect
UI & Visual Design + Animation + Development
overview //
Quick—list three standout names in pop culture. Chances are, “Stephen Hawking” didn’t make your list. So when Fandango challenged HYFN to engage and activate millennials with “The Theory of Everything”, a 2015 romantic drama about Stephen Hawking, we knew we had to find a way to make the genius physicist relevant today. In-depth research proved that Stephen Hawking is a legend even in today’s media—from Star Trek to The Simpsons, Legally Blonde to Pink Floyd. Combining the minds behind Creative and Development, we devised an interactive grand taxonomy chart that would engage users to discover unique, personal connections to Mr. Hawking. Through a bit of experimentation, D3.js quickly became our development library of choice, with several animation customizations of course. When it came to social, creating shareable images quickly posed itself as a significant problem that needed a smart solution, simply based on the sheer quantity of possible connections (several hundreds). Rather than manually create an asset for each possible connection, we tapped into our taxonomy once again, creating application that sourced all possible connections, replaced assets, and exported final shareable images in a matter of seconds.
team //
Creative Direction
Scott Mallone
Nick Boes
UI + Visual Design
Nick Boes
Matt Webster
UX + Research
Melissa Wedeen
Aislynn Shevlin
Matt Webster
Art Direction
Nick Boes
Development
Scott Burton
Owen Masback
Matt Webster
Production
Kim Howe

Creative Arts Emmy Awards
SILENT HILL: Ascension // Winner // 2024
Innovation in Emerging Media Programming
Project Type
//
Focus Features + Fandango
The Hawking Effect
UI & Visual Design + Animation + Development
overview //
Quick—list three standout names in pop culture. Chances are, “Stephen Hawking” didn’t make your list. So when Fandango challenged HYFN to engage and activate millennials with “The Theory of Everything”, a 2015 romantic drama about Stephen Hawking, we knew we had to find a way to make the genius physicist relevant today. In-depth research proved that Stephen Hawking is a legend even in today’s media—from Star Trek to The Simpsons, Legally Blonde to Pink Floyd. Combining the minds behind Creative and Development, we devised an interactive grand taxonomy chart that would engage users to discover unique, personal connections to Mr. Hawking. Through a bit of experimentation, D3.js quickly became our development library of choice, with several animation customizations of course. When it came to social, creating shareable images quickly posed itself as a significant problem that needed a smart solution, simply based on the sheer quantity of possible connections (several hundreds). Rather than manually create an asset for each possible connection, we tapped into our taxonomy once again, creating application that sourced all possible connections, replaced assets, and exported final shareable images in a matter of seconds.
team //
Creative Direction
Scott Mallone
Nick Boes
UI + Visual Design
Nick Boes
Matt Webster
Art Direction
Nick Boes
Development
Scott Burton
Owen Masback
Matt Webster
UX + Research
Melissa Wedeen
Aislynn Shevlin
Matt Webster
Production
Kim Howe

Creative Arts Emmy Awards
SILENT HILL: Ascension // Winner // 2024
Innovation in Emerging Media Programming






















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© 2025 matt webster. all images, LOGOs, characters, etc © & ™ respective to their copyright holders. Do not use without permission..
© 2025 matt webster. all images, LOGOs, characters, etc © & ™ respective to their copyright holders. Do not use without permission..
