Inline, Online, Off

Are Brands The New Medicis? Great Insight by @juliaxgulia

Since I get paid to spend time helping brands create digital and live (physical) experiences, this article is such a great read on the complicated and often contentious relationship between art and commerce. At work, we often wind up talking with artists, performers, and practitioners who can help bring our never-been-seen-before, branded or brand-sponsored, ideas to life and this piece gives me new perspective on their perspective.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a museum exhibition these days without a smattering of sponsor logos adorning the entryway, and as grants and government or institution-funded commissions become increasingly difficult to come by, it’s brands that are bankrolling a large number of creative and artistic projects, especially in the digital arts sector.

Instagram: API Spotlight: "Shoes About Town"

instagram:

We love seeing how folks use the Instagram API to create compelling visual experiences for their fans. For their “Shoes About Town” campaign, luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman has created an interactive map that shows Instagram photos of shoes in, and around, Manhattan.

Beginning today,…

reblogged from instagram

I love these types of art experiences. Info on BT’s ArtBox via wgsn:

Keep your eyes peeled across London this summer for 100 old-fashioned telephone boxes transformed by artists and designers.

The new project, BT ArtBox, marks the 25^th anniversary of charity Childline, and includes contributions from the likes of Julien MacDonald (as above left), Giles Deacon (as above right), Zandra Rhodes, Philip Treacy, Lily Cole, and more.

via Vogue

reblogged from wgsn

We Look Fine: Pimkie Color Forecast

I can’t help it but I’m guaranteed to make reference to Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar’s We Feel Fine every few months, as I have since its 2006 launch. Huddled around an interaction designer’s desk in the darkened AOL creative area, I fell in love with the seemingly real-time, data-scraped almanac of human emotion made beautiful. So you’ll have to forgive me when this was the first thing I thought about when I heard about Pimkie’s little project, via Springwise.

Briefly, the French retailer has set up webcams in what they deem the most fashionable areas of Paris, Milan and Antwerp; the stills are then run through an application that captures and analyzes instances of color and turns that algorithm into a set of infographics — or trends. In their words:

While this is more stunt than substance, it alludes to a set of tools and technologies to come, which will combine fragments of our digital data with that of our physical. Imagine if We Feel Fine launched again but layered in facial recognition via cameras in different spots around the world, to recognize fear, surprise, calm et al. There are a few brands I can think of that would put that to use in no time.

But for now, and for trending purposes, I just love this. I love the creative impetus to automate and curate content I’d normally spend way too much time trawling on street style blogs. Even in a simplified version, a sportswear/fashion brand could create shoe-cams to capture what Londoners, New Yorkers, and Parisians are wearing and beam that in-stores and online to help shoppers make more daring or on-trend purchases.

via gethrottleup here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the building of GE’s interactive hologram experience, Throttle Up. In DUMBO, Brooklyn for Creative Week, May 7th - 11th.

reblogged from gethrottleup

Animated Commercial on Twitter. No, Seriously.

Always interesting to see what creatives can do with their owned media channels.

During fashion week, I loved Burberry’s decision to preview the collection on Twitter.

Now comes possibly one of the most inventive easter eggs I’ve ever seen on Twitter. Totally agree with Business Insider, this is seriously creative.

Here’s what it looks like but do go to the Smart Car Argentina Twitter feed and press the ‘J’ on your keyboard and enjoy. Brill!

truth. via hinternetz:

This is basically how the internet works now, and it’s wonderful: a manifesto on sharing.

reblogged from hinternetz

These @Reebok #CrossFit spots by @mcgarrybowen give me goosebumps. Amazing.

helloyoucreatives:

Rebook take over the Empire State.

Early this morning, Reebok took fitness to new heights as 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Champions Rich Froning Jr. and Annie Thorisdottir, the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth™, led two teams of CrossFit athletes through a Workout of the Day (WOD) at the top of the Empire State Building. The WOD, held at 4 a.m. on the 1,050ft high outdoor observation deck, was a real-life demonstration of CrossFit®, the revolutionary strength and conditioning program created by Greg and Lauren Glassman, which is at the center of Reebok’s new advertising campaign, The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived

Thanks to @GOULCHER for the tip off

reblogged from helloyoucreatives

Colorful Giving

Love this interactive fundraising idea Own a Colour via Unicef (in the UK).

Designed by Simone Micheli and Robert DeCleyn and built by the good people at Feed, not only is the site fast and gorgeous, it was an idea built perfectly for the Web.

The layers of navigation and integration of YouTube videos and social sharing functionality make giving seamless… oh, and appealing!

Getting people involved in funding clean water initiatives, providing mosquito nets, and vaccinations is often a realm occupied by shocking or sad imagery, which I firmly believe creates an away from response in the beholder. But here, not only is the Website a thing of beauty, the causes are clearly quantified by what a small amount of money can help fund.

This is a great way to get attention and get people involved by giving them an experience they really want to share with friends, using a medium and providing tools that make it really, really easy.