DUMB FUN | Tim Moore

Designer Tim Moore has explored the combination of collage art, AR/VR and photography in an app (launching soon) called “DUMB FUN”. The app allows users to add a plethora of virtual imagery to their surroundings and explore 16 different “worlds” all created with their own unusual and unique aesthetic:

DUMB FUN is described as an interactive art experience for iPhone that has the freedom to explore photography and collage in digital worlds. The worlds were created using Apple’s ARKit where users can “walk through” the 2D layers and textures:

 

DUMB FUN originally started as a newsletter that delivered one new piece of artwork by PRVCTICE weekly: “The concept behind the project was to treat the newsletter as a zine at its most minimal form: publishing original work and nothing else, just the imagery.”
Tim Moore is the designer behind one of my favourite apps, VSCO, and I absolutely adore his wonderful visual identity that is prevalent throughout all his work. Moore’s work is actually very reminiscent of my Foundation final project, so I wish I had discovered his work all those years ago!

TIME Magazine | The Drone Age

TIME’s latest issue is an exploration into the impact drones have had on our society and culture, with a unique cover to match. The cover shows the iconic TIME logo and red border recreated using 958 illuminated drones hovering in the sky, and it is the first ever TIME cover captured with a camera drone.

TIME partnered with Intel’s Drone Light Show team and Astraeus Aerial Cinema Systems to fly and capture the 958 drones in California, which where Intel has a campus:

The cover is a still taken from the drone camera with the swarm at 100 meters (around 328 feet) tall. A similar stunt was created at the Olympic opening ceremony earlier this year. Incredible! I recommend watching the BTS video below:

Squarespace: Make It | ManvsMachine

It’s very rate that I see a campaign that is visually and conceptually integrated seamlessly across all mediums of the campaign, but ManvsMachine has (once again) created something that has a strong and stunning visual identity.
Design and motion studio ManvsMachine are one of my favourite creative teams, and they were commissioned to work with Squarespace on the “Make It” campaign. They worked closely with the Squarespace team to create three commercials for their 2017 campaign: “each film is a tactile-take on the online experience —Blurring the lines between digital and physical, in a playful showcase of three iconic creatives & their worlds”.

The short films feature fashion designer Sadie Williams, artist Daniel Arsham and chef, Danny Bowien. It’s rare that a TV ad produces such gorgeous stills that could be used across the rest of the campaign – it goes to show how great ManvsMachine’s creative process is.
This flows nicely into the campaign imagery for digital content featuring “still life” scenes, showcasing the brand’s platform within the context of its users. The brief focused on “Digital made Physical” and the visual narratives successfully convey the brand’s bespoke features.

ManvsMachine’s iconic abstract and crafted style is so visually wonderful and is the perfect fit for a Squarespace campaign. The seamless aesthetic bridges the gap between reality and 3D (as their work always does) which was brought to life by using a wide range of software and hardware including Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, ZBrush, Redshift, Agisoft Photoscan, After Effects, Nuke… I recommend looking at their design process – these are a few snapshots:

It is very, VERY rare I see a banner and think “wow, I really like that”, especially after having to design hundreds of drab banners myself, but even the design for the banner ads are amazing! I’ve never thought a banner is amazing!

 

Having complete creative control, ManvsMachine were in charge of concept, design and direction, which was rolled across digital, social, TV spots and OOH. I can’t emphasise how refreshing it is to see such a visually beautiful campaign. This is how its done!!!

Wang & Söderström |Sneakersnstuff x adidas Originals

Creative studio Wang & Söderström are Copenhagen based digital designers who explore the combination of physical elements, technology and material. Commissioned by Sneakerstuff x adidas, the duo created a campaign for the release of the ‘EQT Materials Pack’ focusing on the diversity of materials in the shoes by zooming in to the shoe on a “macro level”:

The campaign included the animation (above) and store implementations in Sneakersnstuff’s Paris and London stores. For the digital aspects, they used 3D software such as 3ds Max, Vray and Modo, and extracted aspects of the physical shoe materials to inspire the concept:

The brief was quite open and we are happy that our aesthetic wasn’t compromised — we shared the same vision as the client from the beginning. The inspiration to the brief came from one our personal projects called Treasures a series that shows contrasted material collections in a still life staging. We wanted to present a visual language that mixes our own, the shoe’s and Sneakersnstuff’s universe.

This aesthetic and colour palette is very similar to campaigns I’ve posted about before, such as the Nike and ManVsMachine campaign. I love this style – it’s a really popular design trend as more designers are exploring 3D design.

Gatorade’s G Active: Water Made Active

Production agency Unit9 teamed up with TBWA/CHIAT/DAY and Gatorade to create an ad for their new low calorie electrolyte water, featuring a “true-to-life water athlete, animated it in mid air, and caught on camera.” 

Film director Cole Paviour was inspired by the work of Shiro Takatani to create this incredible million dollar experiment in the space of just 10 weeks:

Our custom-made “rain rig” dripped water in complete sequence and harmony. It recreated the figure of a real athlete in a liquid animation. Each unit contained 64 litres of water, with 8 units running at any one time. This meant we used half a tonne of water to bring the whole system together.

This incredible creation was made by firstly capturing a human athlete running, jumping and kickboxing, then using that data the software told the the water rig when to turn the nozzles on and off, using over 2000 switches. The life-like human shape was brought to life by using flash-lighting to illuminate and ‘suspend’ the water droplets in mid air (above), so each frame had a microsecond accuracy. “As a result we transmitted an entire layer of data through the entire system in just a microsecond. We had to take each frame and process it in two ways. First of all to squash it, to compensate for gravitational acceleration, and second to slice it. We stored the data for each frame in a controller unit and triggered it using the camera.”

You can view BTS footage here:

I recommend reading more about the Director here, and you must watch the entire ad in all its HD glory. Essentially, it’s an incredible 3D liquid structure created through software that I can only imagine ever understanding. What a project!

Nike | Go Lighter, Go Longer: ManvsMachine

I’ve been a huge fan of design and motion studio ManvsMachine for years, and their latest award winning project for Nike goes to show that they’ve undoubtedly still got it! Winning the only UK design studio gold at Cannes Lions 2017, they explored the created a “metaphorical exploration of air and the negative space it occupies”.
The campaign was created for the new Nike Air Max, exploring negative space with a colour scheme I’ve totally fallen in love with.

The designs work flawlessly as both a motion piece (above) and as 2D images (below). The campaign has been executed across numerous mediums including social media, DOOH, billboards and product packaging. I am obsessed.

 

California: Designing Freedom | The Design Museum

If you haven’t been to the new building for the Design Museum which recently relocated to Kensington, you are missing out. The architecture and gift shop alone are worth a visit!
The exhibition “California” caught my eye based on the parts that explore ‘freedom’. The exhibition explores more than just the expression of human rights freedom:

California: Designing Freedom explores how the ideals of the 1960s counterculture morphed into the tech culture of Silicon Valley, and how ‘Designed in California’ became a global phenomenon.

The central premise is that California has pioneered tools of personal liberation, from LSD to surfboards and iPhones. This ambitious survey brings together political posters and portable devices, but also looks beyond hardware to explore how user interface designers in the San Francisco Bay Area are shaping some of our most common daily experiences. By turns empowering, addictive and troubling, Californian products have affected our lives to such an extent that in some ways we are all now Californians.

Aside from the array of Apple inventions and iconic technological advances that California has blessed the world with, the most interesting part of the exhibition for me was “Say What You Want”. Described as “tools of self expression and rebellion”, this part of the exhibition showcased artefacts that were created to highlight racism, sexism and homophobia:

P.S. sorry for the awful photo quality! Taken on my phone.

It was incredible being able to be so close to relics that were created to protest against the biggest human rights movements in the world. They even displayed newspaper articles from the past, and contemporary pieces created against Trump’s America.
I cannot recommend this show enough. It has to be one of my (if not THE) all time favourite exhibitions.

ANZ: #HoldTight

In the lead up to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Auckland Pride Festival, ANZ bank have released a campaign specifically focusing on LGBTQI couples and their reluctance to hold hands in public. Agencies TBWA Melbourne and TBWA Auckland aimed to highlight this problem and encourage people across New Zealand and Australia, and beyond, to show their support.
The campaign is based on research commissioned by ANZ which discovered that members of the LGBTIQ community were three times more likely (39%) to feel uncomfortable holding hands in public. In Australia, they are more than twice as likely (52%) than non-LGBTI (14%) to have felt uncomfortable performing the most basic gesture of love: holding hands in public. Also, while the vast majority of New Zealanders (95%) agree that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should feel comfortable holding hands in public, less than half of the LGBTI community (39%) truly feel comfortable doing so. Similarly, in Australia, 94% of people support everyone feeling comfortable with this show of affection, but only (43%) actually say they feel very comfortable. What a sad reality, and something we all definitely take for granted.

As part of a broader social campaign, in collaboration with Twitter, a custom emoji was developed alongside the hashtag #HoldTight. The campaign launched the ad (above) accompanied by stories told by ANZ staff:

Additionally, they also developed a limited edition custom wristband (featuring the same heart-shaped emoji hands), which will light up when people hold hands. The wristbands will be worn by attendees at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Auckland Pride Festival:

Carolyn Bendall, head of marketing at ANZ said:

ANZ is using #HoldTight as a platform to share an important message about diversity, inclusion and respect and to help people understand the challenges that many members of the LGBTIQ community face. We hope to make a difference by encouraging the wider public to join in the conversation and show their support.

Spotlight: Fyn Ng

In a world where flat colour and long shadows are the go-to design trends, motion designer Fyn Ng has turned design on its head. Playing with 2D UI, Fyn has created stunning 3D versions of everyday technology.
Fyn mixes texture, nature and everyday objects to create surreal 3D narratives using brands like Google, Facebook and Apple.

Looking on his portfolio, I actually prefer his daily 3D renders, weekly series project over his professional work. What a great collection of downtime work! Check out his Instagram for more.

Instagram vs. Snapchat vs. Facebook

Back in late 2016 Facebook launched augmented reality selfie masks for Live video – much like the already very popular Snapchat filters. Facebook acquired MSQRD in March 2016, and briefly tested using a similar technology with Olympic-themed masks for traditional photos and videos (only in Canada and Brazil).
I’ve never actually gone Live on Facebook, so I can’t say I’ve tried this feature myself, but I am a huge Snapchat user, and a big fan of the filters. Facebook is now apparently communicating with Hollywood studios to use the animated masks to promote big-budget movies on Facebook. As mentioned above, Facebook already allows filters over the Live videos, but unlike Snapchat brands have not been allowed to feature their own filters.

Snapchat popularised augmented reality in mobile messaging back in the day – they are the OGs of mask filters – and have had a tone of brands using their service to promote their brand or campaign. The difference between Snapchat and Facebook (and Instagram) is that Facebook and Instagram reach far bigger audiences, whereas Snapchat is seen as a platform for friends.
This isn’t the only feature Facebook has “stolen” from Snapchat – Facebook previously put a Stories section on Instagram, and are currently testing a similar section in its Facebook app. Facebook’s Stories include augmented reality special effects, but that test is currently only limited to Ireland.

Its been stated that marketers and brands prefer the stories feature on Instagram, because Snapchat doesn’t embrace brands the way Instagram does. Instagram makes it easy to follow brands and like their posts – there’s no ‘like’ features on Snapchat, and it’s harder to follow accounts because users have to know exact names to find them (something I find very annoying…). Instagram’s search UI is far superior, in my opinion.
Dan Grossman, vice president of platform partnerships at VaynerMedia summed up the difference pretty well:

Instagram is a follower platform where Snapchat is more of a best friend platform. Snapchat hasn’t encouraged brands to build up huge followings.

As a Snapchat fan, when Instagram first rolled out the Stories feature, I was very hesitant. Now, I actually forget to use Snapchat and usually head for Instagram Stories to post my daily activities. The amount of money Facebook are putting into these new app features are, in my opinion, going to destroy Snapchat. Why would I use 2 platforms that do the same thing, when I can just use one? It’s likely that Facebook and Instagram will link their publishing of stories at some point.

(P.S. that is not me in the header image)
(P.P.S I’ve never written “Facebook” so many times in my life)