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

© 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..