The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy wanted to do something unique to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. They wanted an experience that would feel monumental, and they wanted people all over the world to be able to participate. Teaming up with Google, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and Goodby Silverstein Partners, we set out to build the world's longest virtual bridge.
The idea was to create a website that allowed users to connect any bridge in the world to the most famous bridge of all: the Golden Gate Bridge. We were responsible for the user experience and development of the site. It was live for the year-long anniversary of the bridge, as part of the overall campaign to raise awareness of the anniversary.
Since bridges on Google Maps are shown in all different sizes and orientations, we needed a way to connect them seamlessly. We created a simple flow where users could search for a specific bridge or get a random bridge that had not yet been added to the chain. By asking users to mark the beginning and end points of each bridge they submitted, we were able to create a 'tile' of each bridge. Using a combination of Google's API, JavaScript and a series of advanced mathematical formulas, we were able to arrange the tiles so that the end of each bridge lined up with the beginning of the next. The result was a seemingly endless band of bridges.
We loved paying homage to one of our state's most impressive feats of engineering by doing what we do best. We proudly helped users to connect the world's longest virtual bridge. It spanned over 18,000,000 feet long with contributors and bridges from over 109 different countries. The Golden Gate awareness campaign was a huge success, due in part to our efforts on Band of Bridges.