“Art is everywhere, art is everything”, it is constantly evolving, changing, growing and once in a blue moon takes on a form that explodes into something unimaginably iconic. We can really see art in everything. Our God of pop art, the legendary Andy Warhol had even gone so far as to say that for him “being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” As for marketing – we have long arrived at understanding that we are walking a very thin line here always balancing somewhere in-between science and art and with the expansion of digital signage that line became even thinner. Digital is taking the center stage in art and we’re beginning to see a lot more artist digitalization as well – they are all choosing projector, computer, DS software or a screen as an artistic tool and brands are not far behind. Augmented and virtual reality, digital installations, and projections are re-shaping the way we express and experience art. Now, let’s get inspired by some great DS examples and see how to turn our visual marketing into something indistinguishable from art.

A side note

Just a few days ago the long-awaited and immensely hyped new Cats trailer was presented to us… Kids cried, flowers wilted and the sky became so dark and heavy it has almost fallen to the ground. It was the strangest, most disturbing and unnerving thing ever. And, mind you, they had Judi Dench and Ian McKellen on board, not to mention Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and even the choreographer from Hamilton thrown in somewhere in there. Still: horrifying. Now, the main reason I’m even mentioning this, apart from the apparent need to wart you of this truly nightmarish experience, is to point out that this is a very rare case having all of the right components and still creating something repulsive. Bad digital signage, on the other hand, is almost always easily explained by unprofessionalism.

There isn’t a way to transform digital signage into visual art with bad storytelling, poor quality videos and underperforming soft. So, before even trying to achieve greatness get all your ducks in a row: think quality screens, pay professional videographers, hire talented storytellers and I cannot stress this enough: invest in great digital signage soft. The kind of software that would allow you to seamlessly run creative content on any digital art-walls, art installations, and cutting-edge creative spaces. Most of the digital art-installations are very unique, and you will be paying a lot of money to create artistic attention-grabbing content, so the soft has to be up to par. Our pick for the last two years is Kitcast TV DS soft, highly professional approach to digital signage and as far as attention to design goes – amazing! Check out their case studies at blog.kitcast.tv

The museum inspiration

Let’s start with some inspiration from the Motherland of art – the museums. Digital signage in museums is nothing new, we’ve been fond of the wayfinding screens or the interactive current exhibits displays for a while now. And now the screens are joining the show and becoming a huge part of the attraction. Digital art installations offer new opportunities where viewers can touch, participate and interact in the artwork. Museums are now building new exhibition spaces to accommodate this new kind of art and we are witnessing the emergence of digitalization a new kind of art movement in the world history of art. We’ve seen art installations everywhere – from Louvre to the Met. But the Museum of science and technology in Ottawa definitely takes the cake. They’ve taken their signage outside and their visitors are welcome by the absolutely crazy 250-feet long LED screen. It is rather shocking and mesmerizing and a great example of how a facade upgrade can become the art-scene of the city. This is one of those “I have to see it, to believe it” kind of things and I strongly recommend you do see it!

The office inspirations

Digital signage has been a part of the productive workforce for years, it is the best way to boost productivity, motivate and engage. Moreover, the synergy of art and digital signage has a proven positive work environment record. Business Committee for the Arts and the International Association of Professional Art Advisors has been to 32 offices and talked to more than 800 employees about art in the workplace. 94% of people said that displayed art enhanced their work environment, almost 70% pointed to the stress levels reduction and approximately 65% reported a boost in morale and creativity. Nevertheless, we are talking about a different kind of digital signage art and a positively perfect example of an office turned art piece is no less than the Microsoft Briefing Center in Switzerland, specifically their conference space. It’s a modern sleek Swiss headquarters with a futuristic monochrome design, where a central black glass wall encapsulates display monitors that when lit bring a pop of color to the black, white & grey room. It is an amazing modernistic piece of art.

The DOOH inspiration

DOOH offers the truly unlimited creativity with the full-motion content, interactivity, huge screens or the dynamic DOOH and a lot of the brands have already risen to the occasion. I’m pretty sure, that as far as DOOH being a part of the art movement – it’ll only get bigger and better advancing alongside with the cutting-edge technology. Nevertheless, we already do have some out-of-this-world futuristic examples of unbelievably beautiful DOOH. One of the “visual marketing turned art” campaigns is the unforgettable Rémy Martin ad campaign in the Guangzhou Airport. First of all, the choice of place is superb, unveiled in the spring of 2018, the second Terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is a state of the art facility. With more than 180 digital screens mounted on the walls, ceilings and even creating digital tunnels – the space is designed to fully immerse travelers into the brand experience. Well, if the brand in question can deliver the creativity and visuals in content. Rémy Martin delivered. The screens came alive with colorful rainbow videos, mixing in the footage of big city lights and the eye-catching shots of the specially made colorful bottle of the V.S.O.P. Rémy Martin cognac – pure art.