A digital experience that educates on power of the film to impact social consciousness. 

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Summary

George Stevens Jr is an Oscar-winning director and founder of the American Film Institute who led an inspiring life between Washington and Hollywood.

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Airnauts was asked to translate his rich life story into a storytelling experience that would engage different generations. We worked with the family of George Stevens, Jr. to uncover the enduring ideals he championed - creativity, service, justice, and family and deliver a content strategy that speaks of a bigger purpose. 

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The values-driven digital experience allows users to connect the dots between historical events from the last 60 years and translates the classic movie style into a cinematic experience. 

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In the strategy process, we were inspired by a handful of enduring ideals he championed - creativity, service, justice, and family. Based on a values-driven experience strategy, we developed UX and UI. 

Approach

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• Worked in a co-creative process with the family of George Stevens, Jr. to uncover the deeper message behind the different personal stories and create a cohesive,  engaging storytelling experience 
• We analyzed a wealth of content that went back to the 1920s, when Stevens Family began its work in the entertainment industry, to most recent events to that define content strategy that enables connecting the dots behind different events and see the bigger picture and historical context 
• We engaged with different stakeholders, inspiring conversations with Goerge Stevens Junior and number of storytelling workshop 
• Applied storytelling framework based on narrative arch to create up-and-down patterns in the story. We wanted to move away from fact-based historical narrative and instead enable emotional connection with the hero of the story.  Storytelling that is reflective of the complexity and depth of George Stevens, Jr.’s life. 
• We translated the framework into a design system that pays homage to his timeless and elegant creative work, while being modern, inclusive and scalable for 2020.
• Attention paid to to usability and inclusivity to make sure that the experience is accessible to everyone regardless of age

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What we did: 

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• Experience strategy 
• Design and art direction
• Storytelling and content strategy
• Solution architecture
• Responsive web development & QA

Focus on values

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George Stevens, Jr. throughout his life focused his pursuits on the higher purpose — to bring attention to societal issues, advance the status of arts in American society, reward those who made contributions to American culture, and to give the voice to the outsiders. The values behind life that were at the center for the experience and became the framework for the project. Each page within the digital experience is organized as a story highlighting the events, personalities, and works that express a specific value: creativity, service to the country, justice, family. 

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Cinematic experience 

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The aesthetic of the films and the golden age of Hollywood was the main inspiration for the digital experience. The interactions were designed to observe the nuances of the character or the setting, meditate on the story as it is unfolding. We took cues both from the visual language and the narratives of George Stevens Jr’s film work - understated, classic, and meaningful. Each story unfolds slowly, creating a calm and ritch experience, allowing the viewer to contemplate and connect the docs. 

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Inclusive design 

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One of the key objectives for the project was to assure that the experience is accessible and smooth for all generations. We worked on adjusting the visibility of texts, clearly labeling UI elements and making navigation as easy as possible for users with low-vision and those, who are not used to the somewhat complex contemporary UX. The same principle was applied when it comes to animations  - very smooth and gentle transitions give users time to familiarize themselves with the content. 

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Testimonial

“Everything was excellent.”

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