Alternative to the tag cloud?
ieatpaste: Here's a discussion on metafilter:
http://ask.metafilter.com/56228/Alternatives-to-a-tag-cloudYou can find more experimental UI elements at infographics sites and various visualization lab sites:
http://infosthetics.com/
http://labs.digg.com/
http://sandbox.yahoo.com/Experiments (it used to be much better before they cut a bunch of projects)
http://www.etsy.com/buy.phpI understand that you're probably looking for an established alternative; however, most solutions need to be appropriate to the situation. Feel free to email me and maybe I can help you brainstorm.