WeTransfer Outernet
2022
BUCK was asked to help WePresent (WeTransfer’s awards winning arts platform, acting as the company’s cultural torchbearer) decide how to best utilize the immersive screens at Outernet London. Besides being an opportunity for us to show off the nifty WeTransfer mnemonic we designed to a live audience, we were able to create and develop a cohesive look to the overall exhibition in the form of modular design templates.
First Things First. What is Outernet London?
Developed as London’s newest home for music, arts and culture, Outernet London is a global media and entertainment district in the heart of London’s bustling West End. Utilizing the district’s state-of-the-art 16k+ LED screens and immersive technologies, audiences are presented with jaw-dropping audio-visual art, music and commercial experiences.
Space and Time
There were three primary spaces within Outernet to design for:
NOW ARCADE: an immersive LED tunnel and walkway between spaces
NOW TRENDING: A smaller, three screen gallery space
THE NOW BUILDING: A gigantic space where state-of-the-art 8k screens provide a canvas for groundbreaking immersive cultural and brand experiences.
These spaces are all used differently by the public. Some are transient. Others invite people to linger and hang out. Viewing angles were another challenging dimension to this job.
How can we create depth and dimension to the space and give it a feeling of movement? But just the right amount of movement – too much, or too fast at this scale (the size of a movie screen) and people could get nauseous. A very real concern (and why only teenagers sit in the first row of movie theaters.)
Considering the use cases for each space was essential. Those use cases would really influence our design. The only problem was the spaces were under construction. So doing on site tests was out of the question. What’s a designer to do?
Modular Systems
There was no set length of time for the work to run across the screens so we developed a modular vision that would allow WePresent and Outernet the power to be dynamic with what they feature, when they feature it, and for how long it runs. That meant creating design loops that had a similar start and end point so they would flow seamlessly and could be easily edited together.
Con Templates
WePresent wanted to celebrate diverse cultures and perspectives so the Outernet spaces became showcases for artists from around the world. Our template designs were the cohesive element that brought it all together and helped bridge all the various styles.
We designed eight templates in all: 3 each for the Now Building and Now Trending spaces and 2 for the Now Arcade space.
Our Approach
Our approach to this in terms of design was to build on the brand evolution work we’ve already developed with our work on the mnemonic.
We use this mnemonic as a device to showcase, inform, and thread content and to make it feel cohesive, own-able, and immersive through spatially-considered design and impactful motion that utilizes the Outernet space.
Testing…testing….1, 2
We built a series of tests to complement Outernet’s pre-existing suite in order to get a feeling for how these would play in the spaces. Speed, color, footage, and scale were all pressure-tested to make sure there wouldn’t be any unforeseen issues for the run of the event.
For the Record
We teamed up with our pals at Antfood to create a cinematic soundscape that brings to the WePresent content to life, and to enhance our audiences experience.
BUCK
Executive Creative Director
Vincent Lammers
Group Creative Director
Evan Boehm
Executive Producer
Chance Woodward
Creative Director
Richard Gray
Producer
Carolina Brandão
Production Coordinator
Bénédicte Gold-Dalg
Animation Director
Joe Brooks
Design
Bernd Bousard
Charlie Nash
Estefan Richter
Fabrizio Lenci
Mijke Coebergh
2D Animation
Jaume Mestre
Laurentiu Lunic
Sound
Music Studio
Antfood
Special Thanks
Videography & Photography
Sandra Ciampone
BUCK
Executive Creative Director
Vincent Lammers
Executive Producer
Chance Woodward
Creative Director
Richard Gray
Associate Creative Director
Chris Markland
Brand Strategist
Asia Hunt
2D Animation Lead
Joe Brooks
Design
Bernd Bousard
Catarina Freitas
Max Friedman
Vincent Tsui
2D Animation
Albert Oriol
Andreas Maris
Bernd Bousard
Vero Gómez
Sound
Sound Design Studio
Antfood
