data as brand: HUSH translates information into form

the work of brooklyn-based design studio HUSH showcases its ongoing investigation towards methods of translating collected data into immersive digital space. the studio’s work is a collaborative effort with clients in such wide-ranging fields as marketing, advertising, retail, and architecture. the concept-driven projects fundamentally serve as a manifestation of gathered statistics into a physical, spatial image of the brand. with each project, HUSH presents a re-interpretation of ‘data’ as a concept and generative design tool. such gathered data includes the various trends within a workplace environment, the movements and gestures of an occupant, or energy usage statistics within a work of architecture. as the input information is collected in real-time, the digital space is situationally responsive and continuously evolving.

to discuss the complex meaning of ‘data as brand,’ designboom spoke with HUSH co-founder and partner david schwarz about three of the studio’s most recent projects. 

capital one workplace brand visualzation

images courtesy of HUSH

HUSH worked with capital one to generate a data-driven, ever-changing experience in the company’s campus in tysons, virginia. the environment within the workplace is critical to expressing the culture of the company. together the two groups leveraged internal and external data insights to convey unique trends from various aspects of the company. animated graphic patterns portray associates working in collaborative harmony with both geometric and organic themes. 

the geometric imagery expresses the internal workflow of the company. each figure, including its color, size, and behavior, signifies the data of an individual employee — their location, their role within the organization, tenure, and their collaborative output inside the company. the collaborative rhythm of the employees is expressed as an expanding, undulating grid of shapes, emphasizing the effort of the employees which is what drives the company’s success. 

meanwhile, naturalistic imagery serves to express the external results of the capital one organization as seen in the marketplace. this includes capital one’s growth metrics, financial indicators, new branches, new cards issued. each organic motif is comprised uniquely of such auto-generated elements as color, texture, style, and size, all determined by these external capital one data points.

google deep city

in google’s executive new york city headquarters, HUSH curated ‘deep city,’ a spatial experience that inspires guests with the power of their own data. through gesture, movement and voice, human data is captured and translated into personalized, interactive visualizations. ‘deep city’ is an installation in three parts — the passage, the city cave, the skywalk. each guest leaves with an informational and artistic record of their personal journey. 

‘the passage’ is an undulating, ethereal surface that maps and expresses the millions of data points of human movement in physical layers of light. the wall-mounted installation is made up of programmable LED panels suspended behind stacked layers of frosted acrylic. the topographic passageway responds with illumination and color as individuals walk through.

‘the city cave’ comprises a interactive experience which operates through voice, movement, and preference-based data. question and selection-based interactions are mapped as the viewer is taken on a 360 degree journey. the immersive environment is built of an array of 22 angled, dichroic glass panels suspended from aluminum framework in front of OLED display screens.

‘the skywalk’ is the final element of the deep city experience. a linear array of LED panels overhead maps the real-time movement as the visitor passes below, responding with illuminated visuals in vibrant tones. HUSH comments: ‘deep city dives into your own data revealing the power of real-time information capture and creative visualization.’

unisphere net zero energy building

‘unisphere,’ the headquarters of biotech company ‘united therapeutics,’ is among the few net-zero buildings on the east coast — a living, breathing entity. the active systems working throughout such a net-zero structure are typically imperceptible to an occupant. HUSH studio teamed with united therapeutics to formalize the unisphere’s active solar and thermal systems into a visual, responsive installation. the project expresses the real-time energy usage of the building through the use of radial light. the directionality of the light serves to indicate whether the building is generating energy or consuming it.