NEW YORK (8 Sep 2014) — Call it digital marketing, digital storytelling, or immersive experiences. No matter the terminology used to describe it, digital technology is dramatically changing the way people interact with public spaces and each other—and it’s driving how brands, institutions, and designers shape customer experience.
Xlab 2014—happening November 6 at the SVA Theatre in New York—is the innovation forum created to bring designers, technology integrators, thinkers, makers, and brands together to survey the changing landscape and identify challenges and opportunities in customer experience design.
The world’s top experiential and interactive design firms will headline rapid-fire, 10-minute presentations focused on new interfaces, media, content models, platforms, and collaborative approaches to immersive customer experience.
HUSH Studios, Local Projects, Control Group, Arup, Second Story, Jason Bruges Studio, Digital Kitchen, Leviathan, OpenEye, Schema, Float4, Estimote, and Bluecadet are among the visionary designers, thinkers, and makers gathering for Xlab. They will add to a dialogue focused on how design, digital technology, and innovation are shaping experiences in the public realm—and how design practices need to evolve to engage contemporary audiences.
Xlab was conceived as a forum to encourage dialogue between design and technology, says Bryan Meszaros, founder of digital agency OpenEye and Co-Chair of Xlab 2014 with Anthony Vitagliano, experience design director for Digital Kitchen.
“Digital technology is a powerful tool in the design of immersive customer experiences, but to be truly effective, it has to integrate storytelling and consistent brand messaging,” says Meszaros. “Through collaboration and dialogue among design, technology, and brand, we can envision the future of immersive customer experiences in the next five to 10 years.”
To frame the conversation, Xlab 2014 will be organized into sessions called Insight, Platform, Content, and Make.
“What are the latest technologies and media that designers need to consider incorporating into the stories, media, and places they are designing?” says Clive Roux, CEO of SEGD. “Why should I care about how sensors are leading users to more intelligent interfaces? What are iBeacons? How can I create interactions that are more responsive to human behavior, tell engaging stories, and create memories? Those are the questions we’re tackling at Xlab, and we want designers, marketing professionals, and technologists to join the conversation November 6.”
Xlab 2014 collaborators cover the landscape of experience design, from content creation to brand architecture and technology integration:
- Jake Barton, principal/founder, Local Projects (New York)
- Jason Bruges, interactive designer/founder, Jason Bruges Studio (London)
- Matt Daly, principal/chief scientist, and Jason White, executive creative director, Leviathan (Chicago)
- Linda Hofflander, director vertical marketing, Samsung Electronics America
- Paul McConnell, director of design, Control Group (New York)
- Stacey Martens, senior creative developer, Bluecadet (Philadelphia)
- Daniel Meyers, creative director/architect, and Tracy Sym, experience design director, Second Story (Portland)
- Tateo Nakajima, principal, Arup (New York)
- Tanuj Parikh, senior director business operations, Estimote (New York/Krakow)
- Christian Marc Schmidt, principal/founder, Schema (Seattle)
- David Schwarz, creative partner, HUSH Studios (New York)
- Alexandre Simionescu, managing partner/creative director, Float4 Interactive (Montreal/New York)
- For more information and to register, visit the segd website at https://segd.org/2014xlab
For a media pass to Xlab 2014, contact [email protected].
Xlab2014 is presented by Sansi North America (S|N|A) and Samsung.
About SEGD
SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design) exists to Educate, Connect, and Inspire the global, multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design, and build experiences that connect people to place. SEGD’s mission is to provide learning opportunities and resources for professionals involved in creating experiential graphics, promote the importance of the discipline in establishing place, and continue to refine standards of practice for the field. For more information, visit www.segd.org.
