A concept for experiential design was buzzing around SIGGRAPH 2010 – the concept of emergence. Emergence is the by-product of the audience’s interactivity, something that isn’t directly incorporated into the piece itself. It can be a variety of manifested qualities when people are put into the right collaborative conditions.
The annual PromaxBDA conference is the largest entertainment marketing, promotion and design event in the world and attracts execs from top television networks, cable channels, media and creative agencies, design and emerging media and other industry leaders. PromaxBDA was held in late June in LA and it is, without question, an awesome conference. I went to the conference when it was held in Miami several years ago – and I wish I could have made it to this one. It’s always a gathering of some of the best strategists, marketers and true thought leaders in the creative fields.
This video features a snippet from a panel on inspiration, and what inspires leaders in the field. Moderated by Will Travis, Dentsu America, the panel included people like David Carson, David Carson Design; Timothy Fisher, CoFounder, Mk12; Mark Kudsi, Director, Motion Theory; Jakob Trollback, Trollback+Company; Garson Yu, President and Creative Director for yU+Co, along with several others.
I found their thoughts and challenges inspiring and thought you might, too. Under the jump, there’s a recap of some of their comments, in case you want to roll them around in your head like I did in mind.
Will Travis opens the clip talking about change and what scares him. He was challenged by having a big shop, one that helped change the way things were done in the industry – and what comes after that. “You can’t rely on your heritage, on who you were” he says. “It’s about who you are going to be – and how you are reforming that“ that matters now.
And then Trollback wonders, with the advent of the Internet and the fact that sources of inspiration now are so accessible, “are we better, because of that?” And he elaborates that it’s that process – the transformation of one piece of inspiration into another – that drives all of us.
“There is no control over quality anymore” when you put your creative work out there to the public, says Mark Kudsi from Motion Theory. “You lose the details that you put into something.” But then, sometimes, it’s so great to see what the public does when they see a message that you created, and it’s interesting to see how they modify it to suit their own message or their own needs.
David Carson talks about the fact that everybody is influenced by some thing or some body and says “the trick (as a designer) is to take what got you into this field and make it your own.” I like that. And he mentions the creative’s perpetual lament “the tighter the boundaries imposed by a client, the harder it is” to deliver something that will really work for them. Alas. If only clients really understood that.
Bottom line, PromaxBDA is on my list of conferences I should attend whenever I can. It would be great to see you there, too.
OK, yes, I love great design. I live in a world driven by design. Fueled by design. And that’s why I love great designers. Watching this film moved me – like the first time I saw film/art from Charles and Ray Eames.
Dieter Rams is a visionary. He was then, even in the early days of working with Braun, as he moved from a focus on industrial aesthetics to aesthetics for the home. And he is now. In his laboratory, the environment was such that new products were influenced by many and ultimately, made better for all.
The world has come full circle – but some things remain certain and true for all time. The world of design – and advertising – has always been defined by creativity. But what really defines great work – is collaboration – work that is influenced by many, working seamlessly together, creating a finished product that is better for all.
Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design are timeless as well — tenants to live by:
Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design helps us to understand a product.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is durable.
Good design is consequent to the last detail.
Good design is concerned with the environment.
Good design is as little design as possible.
In the film, Rams says “The unspectacular things are the important things, especially in the future.” Real word or not — I liked the way that made me feel.
Photo Credit: Abiasag Tullmann
I always tell people that the reason I got into this business is because it is such a powerful medium. A single film has the power to influence – to motivate – to raise awareness – to change a point of view. And making a documentary film, in particular, gives the filmmaker a unique opportunity to reach down deep inside and produce a piece of art that tells a story — a truth. That gives the filmmaker a powerful platform that can affect change. But you can see all that for yourself, if you just take a minute to watch this documentary trailer.
Gasland was directed by Josh Fox and it was the Winner of the Special Jury Prize – Best US Documentary Feature at Sundance in 2010 and it also screened recently at Cannes. Fracking is not only happening all across rural areas in America, it’s spreading to Europe and Africa, too. Property owners are tempted by very lucrative offers from big energy companies and, given today’s economy, it’s not surprising that some opt to take the money and run.
I think this is a huge deal – and I agree with Josh that this is a situation that deserves a big spotlight aimed right at it – and this documentary definitely does that. If the trailer intrigued you at all, and you want to do more, visit the Gasland website. Request a screening in your city. Make a donation. If we all just did a little, we could make a huge impact.
And that, my friends, is why I LOVE documentaries. I love watching them. I love making them. I love their inherent power to make a difference.
When I read that Volkwagen’s “The Fun Theory” and Nike Livestrong’s “Chalkbot” experiential design work won the 2010 Cannes Festival Grand Prix, I was ecstatic. We’re all aware that advertising is changing. But, it’s quite amazing to see that experiential design is elevating, and has gained acceptance as a communication device.
The Fun Theory is a competition itself where people can upload ideas designed to make mundane tasks interesting. Take the winning submission for example:
And the Nike Chalkbot was a machine that would imprint hopeful messages along the Tour De France– submitted through texting, Twitter and a website. The Chalkbot received some 23,000 messages to be chalked on the roads of France, so it was truly a viral experiential phenomenon.
T2 is a collection of artists who create stories and imagery for all types of media.
Back Alley Films is a daredevil production task force who creates messages across all media platforms.
