Last year, I experienced a VR video around social impact for the first time. It was the video that filmmaker Chris Milk had produced about a Syrian refugee camp. I came away from that experience both moved by what I witnessed through the story, and also excited about the possibilities for using VR video for not just non-profits and global issues, but for telling the stories of brands with a mission.
What follows is the story of how we imagined and produced a VR video experience and custom VR website for the brand Parker Clay. …
These days, consumer lifestyles are heavily defined by what we wear. It’s a way to signal to others that we are part of a certain subculture, and that we’ve made an effort to belong. Street style, hipster, outdoor, adventure, surf— you name it, and there’s a panel of brands, language, events, and communities that give people a way to access a consumer identity. People buy the brands, follow the brands, read the blogs, go to events, and pick up on slogans and sayings. Brands understand lifestyle, and tailor marketing just for them.
Given the growing interest among Gen-Z and Millennials…
How designers can use serendipity to improve the design thinking process.
Seemingly random encounters and conversations often trigger amazing ideas and discoveries. Maybe it’s talking to a stranger on a train and ending up in a deep conversation. Or meeting new people in your company at lunch and solving a problem together. Or overhearing two people talking in a bar that leads you to join in the conversation.
As Horace Walpole defined it in 1754, Serendipity is ‘the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident.’ In other words, serendipity is the result of unexpected social encounters, which lead to surprising conversations and discoveries.
Sky Gilbar
Creative Director, Experience Designer, and Social Innovation Strategist. http://skygilbar.com
