Experience by Design

Facebook's reputation has had a significant impact on consumers' confidence in the platform's data security and more, but it's also made its presence felt in other, more unexpected places.In particular, as Facebook continues to work on VR capabilities, how are consumers reacting? Experience By Design host Bryan Meszaros weighed in."I think it's interesting to see where Facebook is going with their VR development. Certainly, they've been going through a lot of acquisitions over the past couple of years, and I think the recent announcement of the reverse passthrough VR tech is quite interesting to watch.I don't think people are going to be deterred because it has a Facebook label to it, specifically just because they've been buying a lot of applications that kind of position Facebook to be the leader in online experiences.I don't see them venturing too much into the mixed reality realm. I think that's an area that they don't understand. And the acquisitions that have been seen to be skewed more toward game platforms and social don't see translating that well into a real physical environment. But I think, for online, they certainly set themselves up to be poised for a lot of growth over the next couple of years."

Shoppers are increasingly turning to online shopping experiences, as in-store experiences are becoming less convenient. The COVID-19 Pandemic perhaps accelerated this model, and retailers are working to adapt to keep up with the changes. On this episode of Experience By Design, Host Bryan Meszaros talked with Brian Landman, Vice President, Creative Studio at Winston Retail, who leads the way in defining the consumer experience by creating unified commerce in retail, wholesale, and online channels. The duo dug into optimizing the retail footprint, intimate store experiences, and analytics to predict customer behavior and product interests. With brick-and-mortar foot traffic waning and online competition increasing, luxury department stores have been stalled and forced to resort to shutting stores, or in business-speak, "optimizing the retail footprint." Retailers are doing this to shrink the size of retail stores, which creates a more intimate experience. An example of this is Burlington Stores who is shrinking the footprint of their stores to 25,000 square feet but increasing the number from 1,000 to 2,000."What we're starting to see is brands looking at smaller, defined spaces where they can be more agile in the box," said Landman, who has worked in the fashion and footwear industry for 20 years, gaining experience in visual merchandising, store design, brand experience, and storytelling at retail and wholesale.With smaller, more intimate experiences, brands have to be mindful about what they put into the physical store. An example would be Sephora's "Studio" prototype store in downtown New York, which is designed to foster an "intimate" experience with the customer - a type of relationship that is similar to how one would have with their hairdresser.

Virtual reality (VR) can lead to amazing experiences, but not every application really connects. Its history and future as part of an immersive environment hinge on a few things: a creative story and a physical connection. Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros shared his thoughts on the technology.“I participated in a retail-focused organization technology event, and the question came up around what has value and impacts the customer experience. I went with VR, but I admit I have a love/hate relationship with it,” Meszaros said.“There needs to be a reason to put on the VR goggles that compels people to interact and be a part of it.” - Bryan MeszarosMeszaros' hesitation is because its application often has no connection to the environment or user experience. As a result, he came up short in trying to describe examples of retail doing it well. However, its use in entertainment is compelling. “There is a reason to put on the goggles because there's a creative story around it, such as the VR Star Theme Park in China.”But how does VR become more than just the visual? Meszaros shared some prime examples. “There's a hotel in London with a VR cocktail. You're flying over the Isle of Mull in Scotland while enjoying the drink. It's connected to something physical and offers a sensory experience.”A restaurant in Syracuse, Spot 26, is an example of an immersive experience that doesn't require goggles. The restaurant partnered with Quantum Virtual Experiences. The themes change nightly. “It really is reality as you see it. The walls, tables, and plates come alive,” Meszaros added.Canada Gooses is a unique example of VR in a multi-sensory retail setting. Guests can “walk” along cracking ice in a -12°C room. “It's a brand experience you can feel and cleverly connects the retail experience to the brand narrative in a visceral way since you'll need its most popular parka,” Meszaros explained.

On this episode of Experience By Design, Host Bryan Meszaros talked with Matthew McNerney, Creative Director, Experience, Landor & Fitch, an iconic design and strategy agency that delivers extraordinary brand transformation by design. They spoke about his career, career trajectory, and Landor & Fitch.McNerney recently landed at Landor & Fitch, where he directs brand experiences to transform businesses, foster affinity, and build brand ambassadors. His fluid role spans physical environments, programming, service design, and digital interaction, and he often leads business development efforts from ideation through pitch presentations. He promotes collaboration while cultivating space for team members to influence projects from any direction.Landor & Fitch operate together but also separately, according to McNerney. Landor is known for its classic branding, strategic design, and legacy contributions to the graphic design world. Fitch is known for its world-class strategy, experience, retail, and workplace design.“It is really the two ends of the spectrum of branding, so bringing them together to offer our extraordinary work is incredible,” McNerney said.He elaborated that they noticed clients were asking for more coherent deliverables. The two practices of design and strategy from Landor & Fitch integrate the two disciplines to create holistic experiences.“The reality of experience design is that it touches everything,” McNerney said. “Having those two minds is just lovely to really offer incredibly rich solutions for an evolving world that's only accelerated since the pandemic.”

On this episode of Experience By Design, Host Bryan Meszaros talked with David Title, Partner at Bravo Media, a multi-platform creative studio focused on enhanced engagement through dynamic experiences. Meszaros and Title spoke about Title's career, Bravo's work, and retail during the pandemic and post-pandemic, including working on Krispy Kreme's flagship store in Times Square.While working on the project, they came across a lot of fresh donuts that had to be consumed. There's nothing better than the Original Glaze, according to Title. They were fresh off the line. He just wishes the projects at Mercedes and Lincoln also offered free examples.“We look at shopping as an entertainment, as a thing to do. As much as it is a way to acquire something, which is why a lot of people go shopping and come home with nothing.” - David TitleThe first thing they jumped into was talking shop about work after the pandemic. Title's team is starting to inquiries pick up, as more projects are picking up and businesses are starting to plan again. Aside from things being closed, there wasn't much confidence in any sector, Title said. But, as things have gotten a bit more under control, they're starting to look ahead. They even have a crew headed to Miami to work on a party activation.One of the things he noticed during the pandemic is that people could still get everything they need online. There wasn't an acquisition of stuff, but now that stores are open, what is the need for consumers to return to the store? Retailers will have to make shopping into something we do for the pleasure of being in the environment, Title said.“We look at shopping as an entertainment, as a thing to do,” Title said. “As much as it is a way to acquire something, which is why a lot of people go shopping and come home with nothing.”

The evolution of experience design is here. It certainly wasn't a static element for brands, but the pandemic certainly disrupted it like never before. Talking about this evolution, or possible revolution, Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros welcomed Christophe Castagnera, Head of Connected Experiences at Imagination. Imagination is an experience agency that offers consulting, design, and creative services for brands worldwide. Castagnera serves as a chief strategist and has over two decades of experience telling brand stories.“The last year has challenged the way we create experiences. It was a lot of reimagining. There were opportunities to seize the moment, so I wrote a Playbook discussing technology, curated experiences, and building at-home experiences,” Castagnera explained.In the last year, the industry had many lessons learned moments. “Investing in technology was a possibility, but not everyone had the funds. People were still touching their mobile phones, so that became an avenue,” he shared.Trying to recreate an in-person experience online didn't really work. Those companies that succeeded found new ways to do virtual rather than mimicking physical experiences. The test and try model was good for many brands. “Some were being bold, they learned things, and are being rewarded. Where others lost share of voice that were passive.”Castagnera offered several examples of brands' creative moments. “Rabbit Hole bourbon had staff become virtual hosts for consumers in their home, and they suddenly were having these conversations. Around 70% of people are up for a brand experience in their home.”Castagnera also talked about VR opportunities discovered. “If you can build a proper brand world around it, it works. Otherwise, it's just bad ‘reality.' The ecosystem has to be rich.”

Host Bryan Meszaros welcomes Trent Oliver, Principal and Managing Director of Blue Telescope. For nearly two decades she's led a team that designs, develops, and deploys award-winning technology-based exhibits.This wide-ranging and insightful conversation covers everything from binge-watching during the pandemic to the challenges of communicating creative ideas to clients. Prototyping and creative collaboration are key to the process so that clients aren't surprised by the final product.“If you want to get people out after being at home for a year it better be cool.” -Trent Oliver“Imagination is a muscle,” Oliver said. While it is challenging to invent and innovate, sometimes the greater challenge is communicating something unfamiliar to a client and helping them see how it can be used to engage visitors.The technology used in exhibits ranges from virtual reality to location sensors, touch screens, and projection — but the technology isn't the experience. Oliver points out that screens for the sake of technology aren't enough. “We can be far more inventive and reactive and have surprise and joy and have your behavior be part of the total interaction,” Oliver said. The most immersive experiences can't be replicated at home and depend on the viewer's interaction. Centering the experience on visitors means the focus isn't on the technology but how it is used to communicate “Every visitor wants to be seen and participate and be part of, not be blared at.” Oliver said. “Technology isn't the experience.”Oliver sees the interactive experience model expanding in the future as museums, theme parks, and retail converge to create new experiences for customers and visitors that give them something unique and surprising that they won't find on screens at home. As Oliver said, “If you want to get people out after being at home for a year it better be cool.”

Catch up with Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros. He offered thoughts on past conversations, upcoming conversations, and how experience design is quickly evolving. “Starting this podcast was a way to share the conversations I'd been having. There are so many insights that are important to capture.”Meszaros shared his excitement to experience new things as the world begins to open up, creating a bucket list. He also wants to further the conversation on how digital engagement and technology are shaping experiences of the future. One thing he was adamant about is that “you have to create a reason for people to come to you.”Those emerging from the pandemic aren't the same as before. Meszaros shared some things that resonated with him from an article. “Consumers want connectivity and community. The challenge for experience designers is how to create reconnection.”That's true of retail, hospitality, and so many other spaces. In retail, getting shoppers in stores is less about the product and more about experiencing some element of that brand.“Buying behaviors have shifted, and consumers are demanding more immersive experience, and they should. This is the moment to apply data and technology to address these shifts. They want something they can't get at home.”It's time for more creativity and seamlessly integrating technology and digital media to create unique and enticing environments.Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions, helping craft the world's most intriguing experiences.

Life offers up a lot of experience. As technology advances, a lot of our unique experiences come in the digital space. This is no different for Dutch artist Jeroen Van Der Most, whose work incorporates data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence.On this episode of Experience By Design, Host Bryan Meszaros talks with Van Der Most about his art and how it crosses the divide between the digital world and the illusory boundary of our own. While a significant amount of his work is autonomous, he does commission work for organizations such as Amnesty International.Meszaros and Van Der Most talked about the use of AI in Van Der Most's work. He still explores textbooks and digs into what is out there in the digital world. He worked in data science, so being in the world of algorithms came naturally."I studied how people were having conversations online," Van Der Most said. He would study the conversations online for brands. This work proved monotonous, so he started digging into creative outlets. He created basic Twitter images from the Tweets he used in his research. Doing this, he made portraits from the messages.cAround 2013-14, new AI systems and learning appeared and took things to a new level. This allowed artists to engage on a deeper basis with new sounds and imagery. It also started raising some questions for Van Der Most."Along the way, I got more interested in the philosophical underlying of what AI is," Van Der said. "It raises all sorts of philosophical questions."An example would be Van Gogh or Rembrandt. AI was used to study all of their work, and then it created new paintings. This raises all sorts of questions about what is creative, what does that mean for artists and humans.Meszaros explores these subjects and more with Van Der Most.Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions, helping craft the world's most intriguing experiences.

The evolution of experience design is here. It certainly wasn’t a static element for brands, but the pandemic certainly disrupted it like never before. Talking about this evolution, or possible revolution, Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros welcomed Christophe Castagnera, Head of Connected Experiences at Imagination. Imagination is an experience agency that offers consulting, design, and creative services for brands worldwide. Castagnera serves as a chief strategist and has over two decades of experience telling brand stories. “The last year has challenged the way we create experiences. It was a lot of reimagining. There were opportunities to seize the moment, so I wrote a Playbook discussing technology, curated experiences, and building at-home experiences,” Castagnera explained. In the last year, the industry had many lessons learned moments. “Investing in technology was a possibility, but not everyone had the funds. People were still touching their mobile phones, so that became an avenue,” he shared.  Trying to recreate an in-person experience online didn’t really work. Those companies that succeeded found new ways to do virtual rather than mimicking physical experiences. The test and try model was good for many brands. “Some were being bold, they learned things, and are being rewarded. Where others lost share of voice that were passive.”Castagnera offered several examples of brands' creative moments. “Rabbit Hole bourbon had staff become virtual hosts for consumers in their home, and they suddenly were having these conversations. Around 70% of people are up for a brand experience in their home.”Castagnera also talked about VR opportunities discovered. “If you can build a proper brand world around it, it works. Otherwise, it’s just bad ‘reality.’ The ecosystem has to be rich.”

Design is much more than static. In the 21st-century is all about experience and shaping environments. To discuss the evolution, Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros spoke with John Lutz, Partner at Selbert Perkins Design.Lutz always loved art and turned that into a career while studying at the University of Cincinnati. The program was unique, allowing him to alternate between internships and school. These internships allowed him to experience different types of firms. In one internship, he worked on the FedEx rebranding and was part of the team behind the iconic arrow logo. Those experiences helped him decide he wanted to work for Selbert Perkins because they focused on experiential branded environments. “The idea of shaping an entire environment was very appealing to me,” he said.Since then, he’s worked on projects for some of the most well-known places, including the Dallas Cowboys stadium, McCarren airport in Las Vegas, and the St. Louis Cardinals ballpark.Lutz was witness to the transformation of static design to digital being a part of it. “When digital came into the fold, it was like we can put a screen here,” he noted.There was an opportunity for dynamic changing content, but not much else until the evolution of screens, ideas, and configurations. “Over time, we could integrate digital into the art. The digital actually became art,” Lutz added.Much of the firm’s initial work was in wayfinding and gateways. Now, he’s involved in the two worlds merging, bringing imagination, a sculptural approach, and visual drama. Lutz also spoke about environments being timeless but components being changeable. “You have to plan for adaptability in your design. Technology changes, and so do the expectations of those in the spaces.”Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

Design is much more than static. In the 21st-century is all about experience and shaping environments. To discuss the evolution, Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros spoke with John Lutz, Partner at Selbert Perkins Design.Lutz always loved art and turned that into a career while studying at the University of Cincinnati. The program was unique, allowing him to alternate between internships and school. These internships allowed him to experience different types of firms. In one internship, he worked on the FedEx rebranding and was part of the team behind the iconic arrow logo. Those experiences helped him decide he wanted to work for Selbert Perkins because they focused on experiential branded environments. “The idea of shaping an entire environment was very appealing to me,” he said.Since then, he’s worked on projects for some of the most well-known places, including the Dallas Cowboys stadium, McCarren airport in Las Vegas, and the St. Louis Cardinals ballpark.Lutz was witness to the transformation of static design to digital being a part of it. “When digital came into the fold, it was like we can put a screen here,” he noted.There was an opportunity for dynamic changing content, but not much else until the evolution of screens, ideas, and configurations. “Over time, we could integrate digital into the art. The digital actually became art,” Lutz added.Much of the firm’s initial work was in wayfinding and gateways. Now, he’s involved in the two worlds merging, bringing imagination, a sculptural approach, and visual drama. Lutz also spoke about environments being timeless but components being changeable. “You have to plan for adaptability in your design. Technology changes, and so do the expectations of those in the spaces.”Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

Experience by Design host Bryan Meszaros welcomed Jonathan Alger to the show to discuss these topics and a recent project. Alger is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder oof C&G Partners. He has an impressive career working with some of the most prominent brands in the world. Meszaros and Alger spoke about a recent installation for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “They were looking for a positive distraction art form, an environmental feature that creates positive feelings and distracts from negativity and worrisome thoughts,” Alger said. Alger and team worked on two different designs. One was for the main lobby and the other on the sixth floor. “The first floor is a naturalistic, ever-lasting animation of bonsai, butterflies, koi fish, and blooming plants,” Alger described. What makes this so unique is the use of fiber optics and wood. It creates a meditative and calming environment, as nature tends to do. See its beauty here. The sixth floor includes a virtual koi pond in collaboration with Potion. The environment evolves with color and light, changing season for an immersive experience. In discussing these emotive works, Meszaros and Alger explored what it means to have an immersive experience with art and the path to appealing to emotions. “I hear from clients they want to appeal to emotions, and I ask, ‘Which one?’”Alger referenced the movie Inside Out as a good way to broach the topic since it gives life to the five critical human emotions. The experiences that come from design can be impacting and completely change the experiencer, which was certainly the goal for those facing a health crisis.

Host Bryan Meszaros explores the story behind the exhibit to understand how a carefully crafted experience traps into the human experience to connect people to place.Retailers have been creating experiences for shoppers for hundreds of years. Those have evolved based on customer needs, technology, and now a pandemic. Experience by Design is peering into the question of retail design adaptation. Host Bryan Meszaros welcomed industry veteran Cindi Cato, VP of Global Retail for CallisonRTKL. Cato has spent over 30 years with the architecture, planning, and design firm, creating successful retail experiences.Thinking about where retail is right now, Cato said, “They are stepping back and analyzing the business and how it’s changed during the pandemic. Brands are looking more at omnichannel and how all facets can work together.”Retailers are reconsidering in-store experiences and their message and how it resonates in the world today. Companies are trying new prototypes that allow for adaptions on the interior and exterior, which includes technology. “The technology needs to be purposeful,” Cato added.Another theme Cato touched on was fulfillment at the store level to meet eCommerce demands. “Retailers are looking at low performing stores or spaces in stores they can adapt to support fulfillment,” she noted.Fulfillment also means adjusting stores for curbside, pickup, and queues. Cato explained, “Retailers are planning different entryways, one as a pickup and the other to engage. Lines at stores are also an opportunity for engaging at the storefront.”Engagement and experience are challenging in a touchless world, but Cato discussed that the real connection is in the customer’s hand. “A brand’s app is a big focus right now. That experience should be seamless for customers in the store,” she said.

Welcome to another episode of the Experience by Design podcast with host Brian Meszaros. Today, you'll hear from Lee Kitchen, entrepreneur, former Disney innovation catalyst and owner of Magical Dude Consulting.During his 32 years at the Walt Disney Company, he helped create some of their most impactful marketing campaigns, memorable guest experiences and real-time operational efficiency.Below, you'll find an excerpt of Meszaros and Kitchen's conversation. To hear all of their insights, listen to the full episode.LK: If you think about design thinking and creative problem solving, that dates back to the 60s and Alex Osborn and Sid Parnes. It's basically, 'We're not going to look at our challenge straightforward. We're going to take this little lateral journey to get to where we're going. And one of the things I do is I show up, I bring stimulus into the room — so I'll go and collect a lot of different examples of how other businesses are doing things, not necessarily even in the business that I might be working with, but other different kinds of businesses and how they have have solved this kind of challenge before. ... Just come and be inspired and whatever, you know, it might be the catalyst that you need to think about something a little bit differently. And it's so far has been really successful.BM: There's a lot of what we think will happen. There is a lot of observation and how we think human behavior is changed, but it's still a bit of an unknown. I love the fact that it sets up a lot of brands' environments to experiment and try different things.LK: Absolutely. And I make sure that I sit up front, because a lot of times, what happens is people look for solutions that fit what they're doing. So they're programmed to just see what they can extract from it. So I tell them, stop looking for a solution and just start looking. ... Don't just listen for what you want to hear. Listen for everything.

If there has ever been a year where innovation has been most appreciated, it very well might be 2020. Almost everyone had to evolve and adapt in some way or another. Luckily for Bruce Barteldt, Chief Innovation Officer at Little, innovation isn’t out of his wheelhouse. An experienced design thinker and senior leader for over 30 years, as Chief Innovation Officer he aims to maximize the impact of littles diverse multi disciplined resources. Bryan Meszaros, Host, Experience by Design spoke with Barteldt about how businesses have been challenged with finding new solutions and solving problems in 2020. “It's a really great time to be a creative, because there's so many problems that need so many solutions and sweeping ones at that. I don't mean to be speaking to the tedious ones, I'm talking about massive culture change, massive changes to how we look out across the horizon of our lives,” Barteldt said.Barteldt went on to explain how businesses adapt and change is similar to a pendulum swinging. “The way we culture business, kind of swings between classical forms of process and method,” Barteldt said. He continued to explain that he feels we aren’t in a period of necessarily brand new methods or brand new ways of creative problem solving, but he thinks there have been times in the past where there's been a wake up call. “Some of it's generational. Some of it's the convergence of technologies and social change,” Barteldt said. In terms of how 2020 has forced change, “That's been put in a pressure cooker due to the pandemic political clashing, this happened before. So the cycle back and forth, back and forth. I think we live in an age now because we have access to so much information, literally at our fingertips, that things shift back and forth rather swiftly,” Barteldt noted.

On this episode of Experience By Design, W&CO Principal, Vijay Mathews, joins Bryan Meszaros to discuss the emerging trends that will have a long-term impact on the experience factor, the rise of technology adoption during the pandemic, the pros and cons of data collection and analytics, and provides insights to unlocking engagement in a contactless world. “There needs to be a real understanding and use case for those technologies, especially in an environment or in the workspace where these are heavily used—oftentimes, daily used—applications,” explained Matthews. “So, the last thing you want to do is push forward a technology that has a large or highly advanced learning curve that could potentially be a barrier for many people to use and to access. So that’s always the one thing we try to balance.” Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

Just like every other industry, the technical digital industry is rapidly changing in today’s pandemic-impacted world. An effective use of digital experiences is one that’s intentional -- rather than one that exists just to exist, as it has in the past.“It’s not just a standalone anymore,” said Critchley. “What we do, it needs to integrate with the sales channels, the stock channels, the social channels. It needs to be an integrated part of the fabric of the business and the building.”If you don’t have a plan in place for your digital display, he continued, it’ll be “a lame duck as soon as it’s installed.”This can be seen in consumer engagement with brands today, in a world that has been transformed by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost immediately after the virus hit, consumer behavior shifted to digital and online.However, Critchley observed that the brands weathering the economic impact of the pandemic are the ones that can effectively leverage memorable customer experiences. “The brands that really have a clear identity and know how to engage with consumers before, during, and after the experience... are experiencing significant uplifts.”

If there’s one skill we should all want to walk away with when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st, it should be adaptability. Being flexible, resilient, and quick on our feet was more important this year than ever before. For Josh Goldblum, Founder & CEO of Bluecadet, these skills have always been top of mind. He explained that in the studio, they are constantly looking to reinvent and innovate, “That's a lot about how we approach our work. But I think we're kind of like always up for a challenge and we're always up for trying things differently,” Goldblum said.A New Episode Every Other Wednesday

Music and sound are integral parts of crafting an immersive experience, and Stephen Thomas Cavit, Composer and Principal for Iconic Music, Design & Consulting knows a thing or two about leveraging those tools.He’s engineered sound and music for a variety of themed properties, from Alien Versus Predator at Universal Studios Japan and Hollywood to Fox’s Ice Age, has scored numerous films that have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and much more.Cavit joined host Bryan Meszaros for this episode of the Experience by Design podcast, presented by MarketScale, where the two dove into this musical background and explored how Cavit uses music and sound to continue to wow people across the world.Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

On this episode of Experience by Design, host Bryan Meszaros welcomed Abigail Honor, Founder of Lorem Ipsum Corp, for a discussion on how growth in the field of experience design has made finding great talent simpler.Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

What happens when an educational non-profit institution finds itself faced with a sudden total shutdown of society amidst a pandemic? Jerry Harris, Director of Audio Visual at the Georgia Aquarium joined the show to talk about how technology kept the aquarium afloat.When the quarantine began, Jerry and his team were caught as unaware as everybody else. Suddenly, the aquarium wouldn’t have any visitors. “We had to pivot and go, ‘ok now the doors are going to close. What are we going to do? How are we going to stay relevant?” Jerry said.The key was a digital approach to deliver the content to the visitors in their homes. A campaign of educational videos, virtual tours and social media brought the aquarium to kids and families wherever they were watching from. Not only did it work, but it turned out that digital content was exactly what people were craving.Not only did this content keep people engaged, it also kept the Georgia Aquarium relevant, and a strong social media presence kept potential visitors informed about any upcoming reopenings and events. Jerry was quick to note that they weren’t seeking relevancy for the sake of relevancy. “What the aquarium does in regards to taking care of animals, and even beyond just what we do in the facility, what we do abroad…whether it’s health assessments on dolphins or sea lions or what have you, we’re looking at ways of bringing that message to people,” he said.Join host Bryan Meszaros on Experience by Design every other Wednesday as he explores the latest trends and solutions helping craft the world’s most intriguing experiences.

On this episode of Experience by Design, host Bryan Meszaros was joined by Marcos Terenzio, Vice President, Creative & Strategy for iGotcha Media.iGotcha Media specializes in turnkey digital signage solutions, helping “brands tell powerful stories in order to create real human connections.”

The sports fan experience has been evolving, with the help of technology, for years. This evolution has launched state of the art venues and novel ways to engage. However, the pandemic brings the fan experience to new territory. Bringing insights to the new fan experience are Amy Lukas, Partner, Director of Events, and Darlene Van Uden, Design Director, of Infinite Scale, a sports design consultancy.After working with a number of professional sports leagues on permanent design elements and special events, including five Superbowls, the organization has a wealth of knowledge. It helped them bring the NHL back to play. Lukas said, “We’ve been working with the NHL for over 12 years, and the limitations of COVID brought about a new way of playing. Once the NHL decided to host the games in Canada, we had two weeks to design, install, and implement.”One of the most significant challenges was play without fans, but there was a digital integration to bring them there virtually. Fans were on digital screens, bringing some level of excitement. Lukas shared, “When we get back to full stadiums, I think they’ll be a new appreciation of fans being there in person and a bigger focus on enhancing their experience and taking it to the next level.”Van Luden added, “The switch to presenting sports rather than a direct experience will probably move forward AR and VR to be in the moment. It’s a way to get closer to the game when no one can be close to it. I think we’ll see more catering to the fan’s personal preferences to keep them connected to their teams and players in a new way.”

On this episode of Experience by Design, host Bryan Meszaros was joined by Leviathan Co-Founder and CEO Chad Hutson.Leviathan focuses on designing experiences that leverage the power of narrative and storytelling, using “rich, immersive content,” “emerging technology” and spatial design to “craft experiences to be felt.” And the company has done just that for some of the biggest companies in the world, counting the likes of Disney and McDonald’s among its clients.Meszaros and Hutson explored the origins of Leviathan, which is fast approaching its 10-year anniversary, and the company’s overall approach to crafting those impactful experiences.The duo also outlined the general motivation behind experiential design, which was largely in its infancy when Leviathan began its quest to reshape the industry.“The term itself, ‘experiential’ – I think, even today, some folks may not use it in their day-to-day vernacular,” Hutson said. “At the time, what helped us was there was one project for an electronic musician … As part of his tour, there was this interesting sculpture for the background. It just looked like a bunch of white cubes. We created some projection alignments tools, as well as [some content], and I think the success of that tour really helped launch the success of our company.”Leviathan has experienced its fair share of success, but Hutson said there have also been plenty of challenges along the way.In looking back, he said the initial challenges were around finding the right talent and people with the potential to enter a burgeoning field. Then, as the company evolved, challenges sprung up in sustaining growth, balancing ambition with capability, and staying productive and ahead of the curve as the world shifts and evolves.