2010 May | T2 + Back Alley Blog

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May 21st, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Google TV: A Designer’s Dream

As the founder of a business that thrives on creativity and design and innovation, I’m surrounded by a team of artists and really talented people who are adept at technology in a way that regularly astonishes me.

So when I read today about the launch of Google TV slated for this fall, I knew the whole design and interactive team would be buzzing. Of course, I’m sure they knew it was coming long before I did, but that’s nothing new. As someone who regularly sits with laptop at hand looking for episodes of some show that I missed and grumbling because I’m hampered by the small screen and lack of quality, I’m psyched at the prospect of the merging of TV and the web.

And then professionally, as a creative services company, charged with delivering multi-platform design solutions that make sense to my clients on a daily basis, I’m more than just psyched. The web was made for TV. The idea of having the bottomless pit of perpetually regenerating content that is the Internet easily accessible for consumers, combined with a platform of delivery that allows the high quality viewing experience that is TV is really a marketer’s dream. And it’s definitely a designer’s dream.

I’m smiling thinking about all those amazing brains that I’m surrounded by, who are all over the iPad and mobile devices and a myriad of others that they probably haven’t told me about yet, and fine-tuning their design skills to adapt to these platforms. In the design world, multi-platform design is where it’s at and my team is as good as it gets – and they love a challenge. And I know that adding the Google TV experience to the mix is yet another challenge. Combining the power of the web with the visual experience that is TV is a whole new experience – for both designers and consumers. It’s innovation personified. And it’s great to have a career and own a business that allows me to be in the middle of it all.

What about you? Excited about Google TV? I’d love to know what you think its impact might be.

May 20th, 2010
by Garrett Fuselier
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The Ultimate Conference Experience–Sheep-A-Nator 3000

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) annual convention was hosted in Kansas City this year, and featured, as always, marketers specializing in agribusiness from all over the United States. Sullivan Higdon & Sink, a local agency with a track record of creative genius and with whom we work on a regular basis, wanted to do something unique and make a big splash at the event. Their strategy was to get people to focus on their clever tagline, “We Hate Sheep” — which really means they love trailblazers and scorn those who choose only to be followers. Our team at the T2 Experience Lab began collaborating with the SHS team on a grand experiential piece that we hoped would put to shame the conventional trade show “booth.”

After doing some due diligence and scoping out the event space in the Hyatt, our vision was to set up an interactive installation right in the lobby, so we set about working together to design something that would be impossible for convention goers to resist getting a closer look at.

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May 18th, 2010
by Linda Buchner
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Creative Expression

There are not many things I like more than performance art.  I’ve been hooked ever since seeing Laurie Anderson at the student union during college four different times, and then subsequently another few times since moving to Kansas City. Looking back at some of her videos, her work, especially the video projection work that blew my mind back then, it seems very pixelated and crude.  But, she was cutting edge, not only with her projection art, but her costumes, her synthesized voice box and wonderful storytelling.  Oh, we’ve come a long way, haven’t we!  My love of performance art, combined with any other form of expression whether it be music, dance, costumes, or visual effects – best case scenario, a combination of them all is probably what got me involved this industry.  Visual effects ~ I can’t get enough!

This may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  If you liked Avatar, even just a little you might get a kick out of this. Unlike Avatar, (which I saw in 3D and didn’t want to end), this story doesn’t completely woo me, but it’s an interesting little short.  Part of a trilogy called “Becoming”. It’s got it all, little glowing bugs, costume, dance, and even some awesome body paint.

It’s probably why I’m so drawn to experiential design these days.  I can’t wait to see advertising become performance art!  There are some amazing examples out there, more and more each day ~ and they are hard at work, increasing brand awareness and most importantly, increasing sales.  One of my favorites is the Fizzy Billboard for Chang Soda, where they created a memorable experience multiple times during the course of 1 month (making ROI very easy to track!).

I, for one, hope this trend continues to push the envelope, and change the landscape of the brand experience.

May 2nd, 2010
by Michael Ong
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Bon Appétit!

Dining by Design
Perpetual open canvas
for creative minds

– Michael Ong

T2 / Harvest Productions Dining by Design Table from T2 + Back Alley Films on Vimeo.

Footnote: DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) just had its 20th year of Dining by Design in its founding city – Kansas City. I’ve been attending the Gala event for many years but I’ve always felt being in the production/post-production and motion graphics business, that we were sort of on the fringe of the so-called design industry, which for this particular event, meant architects, interior decorators and florists. However, this function has grown over the years and has become the signature event nationwide, in major cities like NYC and San Francisco. As a result, the event now attracts a more diverse group of participants and the level of creativity and passion the designers put into their works was really amazing beyond words. In a recent Fast Company interview, John Waters aptly called it “the Cannes of tabletop.”

Today, multimedia technology has infiltrated every facet of our lives and it’s a big area of focus for our creative teams at T2. Since the gap is now closing, we decided it’s time for us to design a table!

Once we secured our choice partner – Harvest Productions – to be part of the team, we knew we could bring our Dining by Design table to a level that most attendees had never experienced before. What we came up with was basically a blank canvas of everything white: table, chairs, plates, tablecloth, linens, centerpiece and floral arrangements; decorated in a sleek and minimalist approach. We intentionally primed simplicity on our table settings so we could project a perfectly calculated motion graphic imagery onto its surface. Even though Harvest Production has a huge inventory of multimedia tech toys that would wet any geek’s pants, we chose a softer approach in which a single projector was installed at fifteen feet above the table and let the content do its magic. The “technology” seemed to disappear out of sight and we could still decorate the table with everyday familiar surfaces and textures; no foreign machinery or fan noise that would encroach on a pleasant dining experience.

The result: When the house lights dimmed, our table came to life! There were kaleidoscopic patterns on the plates, and undulating forms and lights radiated from the centerpiece, making an otherwise dead and leafless collection of branches wave. The plates and table each had their moment to shine, in a seemingly endless loop of light dance and hypnotic patterns. What can I say? The guests ate it up! We were very pleased with the outcome and would like to share it with the rest of you who couldn’t make it to the event. Bon Appétit!

Credit: T2 – Michael Ong/ Creative Director/Motion Designer, Garrett Fuselier/Experience Designer, Claudia Chagüi/Motion Designer, Drew Bolton/Volunteer Designer, Andrew Kuttler/Volunteer Designer, Derek Ferguson/Producer, Nick Balda/Editor.

Harvest Productions – Joe Athon + the rest of his team.

Let’s do it again next year!