Hope, Fear and Digital Culture

Only 30 years ago people did not make things.  They would go to art galleries, buy records, read books by famous authors, and watch Hollywood movies all created by professional artists.  Fast forward to the last decade—especially the last few years—and everything we know about consuming and creating has unraveled.  The makers dramatically changing industries and the world forever.

Today everyone makes things.  Not only has the digital age allowed people to become curators of culture, it has removed all the barriers for anyone to create.  Everyone is a photographer, writer, designer, musician, film maker.  Despite a recession there has never in history been a better time to create and find success as an artist.

The new documentary PressPausePlay explores the concept of hope, fear and digital culture in today’s society.

Ideas that Spread Win

In the clip above author Seth Godin talks about his experience as an author and his decision to release his book Unleashing the Idea Virus online for free without his publisher.  Since the free ebook was released online it has been downloaded over five million times and lead to a hardcover version that topped Amazon’s best seller charts.

I made more money from the book that I gave away than the one I had sold.  The lesson is… this changes everything. The industry is dead.
- Seth Godin

What are you going to do?

Personally I decided to take a leap of faith in early 2009 leaving the ad agency world behind with the goal of being able to find happiness in creative work that I control, provide for my family, and grow a business that gives back to society and employs other talented people.  It took several months of ad agency contracts and client work, but finally in late 2010 I was able to transition from clients to truly being independent.  For the first time in my career I feel like I have full creative control over what make or pursue.

Best of all getting to this point didn’t require any luck, special favors or a pile of cash.  It was accomplished through seeing an opportunity and acting on it with a bit of hard work. I strongly believe that there is no reason why anyone else couldn’t do the same in this amazing time we live in.

With all of this opportunity to create and get paid for it, how are you going to take advantage of the moment?

Permalink

Instaprint

A few weeks ago at Tumblr’s SXSW party I meet Andrew Zolty and Mattias Gunneras who co-founded BREAKFAST, physical-digital interactive agency.  As an agency that hacks and creates physical toys that hook up to the digital world.  Everything from a Conan auto-Foursquaring blimp, b-line a batphone for prospecting new clients, an office music democratizer, fresh bread that tweets (while the founders were still at POKE), and now Instaprint.

A Location Based Photo Booth for Instagram

At the Tumblr party they stuck the device off in a corner and every time someone to an Instagram photo and set the location to The Highball in Austin one of the two Instaprint devices would print out the photo Polaroid-style.  The team at BREAKFAST did a brilliant job hacking together the Instagram API, location-based services and a ZINK printer to bring the digital into the real world.

Check out the gallery of all the Instaprint live and past events and dig around BREAKFAST’s website.  I’m expecting big things from this relatively new agency.

Permalink

Signalnoise Source: 10 PSDs, $75

I always love seeing how other designers approach their work, and this chance to see how James White, Signalnoise, creates his complex and beautiful artwork is fascinating.  I’ll be buying this one later today to dig in.

For those of you who have been around digital for quite some time it might remind you of when Joshua Davis sold his Praystation hard drive.  I still have mine sitting around here somewhere.

Reblogged from Cameron Moll

Permalink

Made of Music

In a print campaign to show the musical influences behind modern artists Billboard Brazil represented the pixelated likes of Marilyn Manson, Bono, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga made with their influences’ portraits.  Agency AlmapBBDO took the campaign beyond print and created video installations that were installed in rock bars in Brazil.  Anyone can walk up to the display, select their favorite artists, see a pixelated representation of themselves, and then upload their portrait to Flickr - flickr.com/billboardyourself.

Reblogged from jendotlu, via @jayemsee

Permalink

The Last Advertising Agency On Earth

This office is being preserved just as it was found after everyone vanished.  We can even see what they were doing when that moment came, filling in time sheets, getting another coffee, playing foosball.  They were carrying on as they always had.  Ignorant to the great change going on all around them that would soon destroy them all.

And this was it…  The consumer to whom agencies had force fed their brand messages for decades stopped being passive.  This was the catastrophe.

A short film about what the future of advertising might look like to promote FITC - Design and Technology Events.

Permalink

Ad Spending by Media Source No surprises here on digital ad spending, but seeing visually in context with other media types puts things in perspective.  My guess is a huge chunk of the money has also shifted away from ad spending all together, and is being replaced by marketing campaigns to connect with real customers (a.k.a. social). Via Bud Caddell

Ad Spending by Media Source

No surprises here on digital ad spending, but seeing visually in context with other media types puts things in perspective.  My guess is a huge chunk of the money has also shifted away from ad spending all together, and is being replaced by marketing campaigns to connect with real customers (a.k.a. social).

Via Bud Caddell

Permalink

VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread - iPad Demo

Fantastic example of how motion, interaction, and editorial content can come together to create digital content.  Sure this might take far more time than a standard content layout, but if a publisher can create one to two of these featured mixed in with well designed content this will take off.

Together with co-directors Cory Strassburger and Ming Hsiung, we produced a motion magazine cover and feature spread for Viv Mag - an all digital magazine, which would allow us to create content that will be able to live on the iPad and other tablet devices where digital magazines can live.

- Alexx Henry

Via Josh Spear, Trendhunting (you might want to bookmark this site)

Permalink

Mag+

As we’re getting close to closing out the decade of amazing technological advances many of the platforms of the past are reaching their end of their life—especially printed magazines and newspapers.  Personally I don’t believe the medium is going anywhere, but the delivery is going to rapidly change over the next few years.

Bonnier R&D imagined a concept of what this new delivery for editorial content will look like.  It’s a fascinating conceptual video, and I’m looking forward to the opportunities it will open.

Read more on the Mag+ Prototype and follow the discussion at the Bonnier R&D Beta Lab.

Permalink

2009 Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report

The report highlights five brands that are excelling in an experience driven world:

Permalink