Every now and then you get a client who wants a cockpit or dashboard themed presentation. The gauges need to represent some measurable facet of their business. The winding road ahead represents challenges on the horizon. et cetera. These things can border on business-satire if you’re not careful. In 2013, the race-car metaphor in a business setting is as cheesy as a handshake in front of a globe. On the other hand, it affords the designer a lot of creative freedom and room to play.

In my geekiest fantasies, I dream about doing UI and cockpit design for movies. And one day (after a particularly long Battlestar Galactica marathon) it occurred to me that it might be fun to make a Viper cockpit as a prezi template.

Using a few screenshots from the series as a reference, I created the framework for the cockpit in Illustrator, and exported the elements as .swf files. Movable elements like the asteroids in the upper display were exported separately so you can tell your own story with just a few modifications. Also there are 3 different backgrounds that fade in to replace each other as you zoom deeper into the prezi. The stars begin to streak, and eventually the camera punches through to the nebulous conclusion of your story.