It’s been a busy and exciting 2011 and in these last few days the Hello studio has been abuzz with production on some fantastic work launching in the New Year.

Hello made sure to toast to a wonderful year with a night of Latin American-inspired tapas and holiday cheer. Raise a glass to 2012 and Happy Holidays from Hello!

We launched a new website for one of Los Angeles’ greatest attractions: the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. The Tar Pits boast asphalt seeps that represent the only consistently-active and urban Ice Age Excavation site in the world. The dig site and its fossils tell the story of life in that exact location, 40,000 years ago.

The website redesign parallels the indoor and outdoor experiences of the museum. Explore the Tar Pits and the excavation process outside but take a closer look inside at the research and exhibitions.

Features of the website include updates of new discoveries as they happen; downloadable scavenger hunts and teacher guides; an interactive map of the campus and suggested itineraries; a chronological overview of the La Brea Tar Pits and surrounding area.

Visitors of the website will also be able to view the latest films by Hello Design, including a video sneak peek into the wonder and discovery that awaits at the the Page Museum.

In conjunction with the release of “Eames: The Architect and the Painter,” a documentary that illustrates the work and lives of Charles and Ray Eames, we created a companion site connecting the Eames’ legacy and Herman Miller’s design heritage.

The site features a visual timeline that pulls out the major collaborations between the Eames and Herman Miller and the furniture icons they created together. By sharing content uncovered from the Herman Miller archives, our site invites users to take a closer look inside the work of the Eameses.

Historical images, videos and anecdotal quotes are sprinkled throughout the timeline. Users can scroll through the timeline or jump to specific time periods by clicking on the Eames’ signature icons. You’ve probably sat in an Eames chair before and haven’t realized it, like an Eames Molded Plywood chair or Eames Tandem Seating at the airport.

Users have a chance to win the classic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman – seen everywhere from Frasier to Tron – by signing up for the giveaway.

The Hello team on the farm in Boulder with Top Chef winner, Hosea Rosenberg.

MoMA is featured in this year’s Communication Arts Advertising Annual. The feature talks about MoMA’s unique approach to digital initiatives and their partnerships in working with select agencies including Hello. We’re honored to work with the MoMA and share an understanding with them on the importance of collaboration and storytelling.

“They understand the power of the story and the content,” says David Lai, of Hello Design. “And they care very much about the end product.”

Check it out, on newsstands now.

We’ve been working with Mattel for the past few years on Barbie and currently over at the LACMA, as part of California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way,” the original 1959 Barbie doll and her boyfriend, Ken, introduced in 1961, are on display.

Originally designed in Hawthorne but made in Tokyo, the dolls are a gift from Mattel, Inc., sponsor of the exhibition and an example of a postwar California success story. Formed around 1945 in a Los Angeles garage, Mattel envisioned a three-dimensional fashion doll onto which a child “could project her own dreams of the future.” Fifteen years later, Barbie was born.

It was interesting to see Barbie’s Dream House, which was made out of cardboard, but surprisingly modern in design.

Be sure to check out the exhibition before it closes to see many of the great California design stories.

Here’s a look behind the scenes on a shoot we directed for the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

We got to watch a special performance of Saber-toothed Cat puppets made by Jim Hensen. Go see the next Ice Age Encounters show at the Page Museum on Tuesday, December 6th.

Some toys inside the lab – poor tortoise!

The skull of a Saber-toothed Cat inside the Fishbowl lab.

Here is Zed the Mammoth getting his skull cleaned. He is one of the Page Museum’s most complete and largest discoveries.

A collection of uncovered fossil specimens from various animals.