The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS), the Chicago-based international authority on nuclear weapons risks and other threats to global security, partnered with interactive media firm Purple Monkey Studios, Inc., of Oak Park, Illinois, to redesign its website, www.thebulletin.org.

Purple Monkey Studios collaborated with BAS to ensure that the release of its new website design—at 8:30am CST on Wednesday, January 17, 2007—corresponded with an international press conference from Washington, D.C., and London announcing the latest time change on the BAS Doomsday Clock. Within 90 minutes of its launch, the new BAS website had already received more than 12,000 unique hits.

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic reminder of the dangers presented by nuclear weapons and other threats to humanity. In a statement released on its new website, BAS explains why it moved the Clock from 7 to 5 minutes to midnight.

BAS selected Purple Monkey Studios for the fast-track project in September 2006 through a competitive bidding process. Jim Grisius, Director of Digital Publishing at BAS, learned of the group's capabilities from a colleague at the University of Chicago Press—another PMSI client. Purple Monkey Studios provided BAS with the flexibility and approach it demanded to make its website launch a complete success.

Purple Monkey Studios' first step in working with BAS was to implement a "Discovery Phase," prior to beginning any redesign work on the website. During this phase, the project manager, developers, and other team members collaborated with the BAS team to determine what could be accomplished within a set timeframe, and which of PMSI's unique services could best accomplish the goal of a flexible and dynamic website to serve an expanding readership of policymakers, experts, and concerned citizens.

The end result was a modular website structure and a crisp, engaging site design that currently fosters a sense of online community and is able to accommodate added content in the future. BAS intends for its website to evolve into a dynamic source of continually updated information on nuclear technology and its implications. The site's use of columns, roundtable discussions, RSS feeds, and blog-type functionality permit users to find breaking news and have access to a range of views in multiple discussions regarding nuclear security, climate change, and emerging technologies.

BAS noted Purple Monkey Studios' flexibility and willingness to launch the redesigned website in conjunction with its world-wide press conference, as well as PMSI's ability to create the site's look-and-feel based on the new BAS logotype and clock design from an outside branding partner.

"Purple Monkey was an exceptional part of the team we put together to design and launch the website under tight deadlines," said Grisius. "We now offer a vast expansion of new, well-organized content for our readers. We look forward to a strong ongoing partnership with their innovative and responsive professionals."

For Purple Monkey Studios, the chance to pair with a globally recognized and highly important organization was a great honor. Said Doug Dawson, Project/Account Manager for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist project: "Having been familiar with the Bulletin and their work, I was very excited about an opportunity to work with them on their website."

For more information, visit the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on the web, at http://www.thebulletin.org.

About Purple Monkey Studios:
Purple Monkey Studios, Inc. is a privately held, 11-year-old interactive media firm located in suburban Chicago. The company specializes in strategic positioning and the custom development of new media solutions for Web, CD, DVD, PDA, and print-based mediums. With a staff of over 30 full-time employees, Purple Monkey Studios provides competitive, high-quality results while remaining adaptable to our clients' changing business needs. As a result, clients like Marriott International, the City of Chattanooga, Discovery Education, the McGraw-Hill Companies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, and Dominican University continue to choose Purple Monkey Studios as a partner. For more information, visit www.purplemonkey.com or call 708.386.3086.