Inspiration can come from anywhere, so every other week I share my Friday Five, a curation of dots for you to connect.
Let’s take a look at rising stars and brands killing it in the space where the physical and digital worlds intersect.
TO FOLLOW: The Moment Factory
After tumbling down a digital black hole, I came across Canadian based pioneers of creative technology, Moment Factory. They’re a collection of experimenters, designers and problem solvers, who are always the first to push the limits of our ever-evolving ‘phygital’ world. Once you’ve finished scrolling through their feed and begin to crave more – trust me you will – dive into their digital lab where they share all of their creative processes, projects and prototypes.
TO WATCH: MasterClass
Who better to teach you how to creatively lead a magazine than Anna Wintour or tell a story like Margaret Atwood? Unfortunately, for most of us, getting a one-on-one cooking class with Gordon Ramsey or a magic lesson with Penn & Teller is out of the question. But MasterClass is making the impossible possible by recruiting industry leaders to enlighten us with the secrets of their crafts.
Filmed like an award-winning series, the courses are perfect for serial Netflix bingers who are starting to feel guilty for the ever-deepening dent in their sofa. In just a few days of signing up, I’m two courses down and have already lined up the next.
If you don’t want to splash out, check out #MasterClassLive on YouTube, where they host live Q&As with some of the biggest names.
TO SUPPORT: The Phenomenal Photography Exhibition by ‘See in Black’
Sharing some of the most striking prints I’ve seen in a while, ‘See in Black’, a newly-formed coalition of 80 black creatives, has masterminded the initiative to celebrate photographs steeped into the black identity. Although their charity auction is now closed, you can support the creatives by buying their prints through the links to their personal websites.
TO THINK ABOUT: Carling’s Digital Clothing Collection
Brands are no longer static. They are living, breathing. Kinetic. Evolving alongside their consumers. And Carlings has proved itself as pioneers in this new era of brands. Their launch of a digital clothing collection titled, ‘AdDress the future’, is shattering the borders between the physical and digital. Why digital clothing? Carlings explains that:
“Our generation lives in a paradox. We love to express our style and creativity online, but we want to reduce the impact on the environment. This paradox was created by the unwritten rule that you can’t be seen online to wear the same outfit twice.”
Their affordable digital collection is seamlessly fitted to any photo of yourself by a 3D designer within hours of purchase. Interestingly, each item does not exist forever. Mirroring ‘out of stock’, their garments expire after a chosen number of downloads.
What do you think? Is this a groundbreaking new idea for designers to connect with an always-online generation or is it undermining the rising movement of digital authenticity? I’m torn between the two.
TO KNOW: Rising Star Blossom Liu
I stumbled across Blossom Liu, a recent graphic design graduate, and instantly fell head over heels with her creative thinking and visual style. Particularly, her conceptual editorial redesign of the infamous Time Magazine. The redesign encapsulates the personality of the brand while breathing new life into their zines. Definitely someone to bookmark for design & art direction inspiration.