This year at SXSW, the focus seemed to shift away from flashy new technologies towards more practical applications and discussions centered around human issues. Sessions focused on topics like inequality, children/technology, and diversity in the workplace rather than the latest apps or devices. Virtual reality was present but being used in more functional ways. The document suggests this change in tone reflects a desire for more thoughtful, inclusive discussions around how technology impacts society.
2. This year, you didn’t have to wait until the alcohol cleared the bloodstream,
the leg cramps from the must-view-session-sprints eased, or the pressure
around the waistline caused by inhaling every taco known to Texas had
abated, before realizing that this year at SXSW, something was different.
Where was the ‘breakout app’ from SXSW? Last year everyone was breathing
nitrogen, oxygen, and Meerkat.
Where was the awesome breakthrough technology? We’re used to jumping
off a wall with the Game of Thrones cast to prove the power of Virtual Reality,
but this year it all felt so functional and, well, practical.
The desperate need to find big news stories about the imminent
transformation of our lives through tech is what irks many observers about
SXSW; there’s a perception, which is not entirely inaccurate, that a bunch of
hipsters and VC junkies feel they can change the world through the power of
their own start-up chops. As with most things in life, there are shades of grey
to this. While Meerkat, a live-video app, has failed to take off, its legacy lives
on through Facebook Live and live video in general, which is indeed set to be
highly impactful for media consumption. Then of course there’s Firechat, a
messaging app that serves as a classic case of a one-use app guaranteed to
be a one-South-By flameout.
But this year was different. As we gathered our crew around for breakfast on
the final day, we realized that none of this had taken place. Perhaps we have
more important things to worry about, typified by the packed hall that turned
out for an audience with Henry Louis Gates and Ken Burns on “Race and
America.”
This year our SXSW crew included two young moms, an expectant first-time
dad, a young designer fresh out of college and our just-married marketing
coordinator. As the grizzled veteran approaching his third tour of duty in
Austin (with the tequila scars to prove it) I was keen to see how this might
change our perspective, or how people with different life perspectives
might react to the hype and hullaballoo of the self-appointed tech maven
community that can dominate SXSW.
As it turned out, something quite different transpired. Instead of chasing
round the latest VC-inflated and VC-hopeful start-ups, or queuing in line for
the latest headset, the sessions we were all heading towards were about using
data to measure inequality and gentrification, technology and children, or the
ongoing issues women face in the workplace, not least in STEM sectors.
One popular session was “Stop Talking Bullshit,” a passionate plea to use
real human language in communication instead of the babel of clichés and
catchphrases that bedevil so much of marketing and communications today.
Another, the Rise of WhatsApp as a CRM Tool in Brazil, considered how
business relationships are moving away from formal channels and on to tools
such as Whatsapp, where consumers feel more natural and comfortable.
Even Isobar’s session, “Kill The Spam In Omnichannel Experience,” was about
our process of user-centered design, where all tech is defined by the end user
experience.
Altogether, SXSW this year felt like it was more about people than it was tech.
It’s not like there wasn’t any tech on display; Virtual Reality was a big player
and was fairly ubiquitous around the city. But the way it was being used was
mature and functional. Rather than generating excitement, it just seemed like
a sensible way to design and walk through a new house, or give kids a bit of
fun while waiting in a restaurant. It wasn’t really earth-changing in its scope or
capability. And no one seems to mind.
I don’t know if this swerve towards human issues is down to a lull in the tech
curve, or if the event’s programming has caught on to a larger trend. Perhaps
as we strive to make our industry more inclusive, we are making it more
thoughtful and enlightened. Perhaps the creative community has indeed
decided to lay down the Arduino boards for a while and solve some real
problems.
Perhaps we are all just growing up a little.
Tim Dunn,
Director of Strategy
BLOG POSTS
01 The Realm of Robots
Account Manager, Shawna Ramsey
02 Sucking Less When Presenting Creative
Account Lead, Dina Sorser
03 #killthespam in Omnichannel Experience
Director of Strategy, Tim Dunn
04 How to Stop Speaking in Bullshit
Account Lead, Dina Sorser
05 Whatsapp—the next generation of CRM?
Director of Strategy, Tim Dunn
06 SXSW: Screen Time Real Talk
Account Lead, Dina Sorser
07 Six Things Every Designer Should Do Right Now
Art Director, Jake Silva
08 #confidenceisbeautiful
Visual Designer, Steph Wulz
Marketing Coordinator, Laura Martin
09 Parenting Tech–Savvy Kids Well
Account Manager, Shawna Ramsey
10 Machine Learning Advances
Director of Strategy, Tim Dunn
A YEAR WITHOUT TECH
3. One of our favorite sessions was about how to speak like a normal person,
rather than constantly using agency jargon and buzzwords: innovative, ideate,
disruption. AKA Bullshit.
EXAMPLES OF BULLSHIT:
Are we targeting thought-leaders or trend-setters? How about thinkfluencers?
How do we create more synergy between our brands? Can we leverage mobile
moments to plant a seed and enhance the consumer journey? Let’s create an
innovative strategic campaign. Can you pull together a deck on that?
TIPS FOR CUTTING THROUGH BULLSHIT:
• First and foremost, be honest. Really look at your communication and ask
yourself if you’re being genuine and true to the company.
• Speak with a purpose and have something to say.
• Speak like a normal human being – communicate like you would if you were
having a casual conversation with your friends.
• Don’t be afraid to call others out on their bullshit.
• Use humor in the right way – the best jokes are ones that are honest, so
don’t be afraid to say what’s on everyone’s minds.
• And the golden rule: treat others like you want to be treated – which means
don’t make fun of others who are brave enough to communicate honestly.
Read more about how to stop speaking in bullshit here.
HOW TO STOP SPEAKING IN BULLSHIT
FAVORITE SESSIONS
DISRUPTIVE
TECHNOLOGY
DISRUPTIVE
TECHNOLOGY
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
HYBRID CLOUD
CLOUD BURSTING
CLOUD
BURSTING
INTERNET OF THINGS
INTERNET
OF THINGS
INTERNET
OF THINGS
VISUALIZATION
VISUALIZATION
PUBLIC CLOUD STORAGE
PUBLIC CLOUD STORAGE
PUBLIC CLOUD
STORAGE
SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE
SOFTWARE AS
A SERVICE HYBRID
CLOUD
HYBRID
CLOUD
BIG
DATA
BIG
DATA
BIG DATA
BIG DATA
BIG
DATA
4. On Monday Isobar ran a two-hour workshop for a large room full of people keen
to learn more about data-driven experience design.
As a first-time SXSW presenter, Strategy Director Tim Dunn wanted to avoid
a common error of some workshops, where attendees expect to actually do
something but find that the opportunities for real action are limited.
As such, our workshop was designed to be almost all interaction. Our ambition
was not a small one – to design a complete digital experience for four major
industry verticals from scratch: Health Plans, Sportswear, Cable Provider, and
Automotive.
Check out the full recap here.
#KILLTHESPAM
“Our ambition was not a small one – to design a complete
digital experience for 4 major industry verticals – Health Plans,
Sportswear, Cable Provider and Automotive – from scratch.”
- DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY, TIM DUNN
FAVORITE SESSIONS
5. One of our favorite sessions this year was by LEGO Group and Cartoon Network. Both
companies have found themselves naturally drawn together to partner on new ways of
telling stories for their shared audience.
This session outlined their collaboration and shared two of their recent hits, Ninjago and
Mixels. They even revealed a new LEGO set, “Adventure Time.” During the talk, a LEGO
master builder put together a collage of 1x1 LEGO plates and at the end, a lucky audience
member got to take it home.
Check out the full talk here.
#LEGO: GROUP AND CARTOON NETWORK: BUILDING FUTURE FANS
FAVORITE SESSIONS
“Partnering on new ways of telling
stories for their shared audience”
6. Another notable session was presented by our partner Adobe. They shared tips and tricks that
help get work done faster and easier for overall design, HTML, CSSs and images and the Adobe
Creative Cloud products. Check out some of our favorites for Photoshop and Illustrator below:
01 PAY ATTENTION TO CURRENT DESIGN TRENDS…
• Double Exposure
• Low Poly (artificial 3D)
• Long Shadow
• Zentangle
• Hand Lettering
• Murals
• Calligraphy
• Creating vectors from objects in photography (Adobe Capture)
02 SPEED UP YOUR WORKFLOW (IT’S HARD TO BREAK FROM WHAT’S FAMILIAR)
• De-clutter your desktop workspace regularly by using CMD-H (hide)
• Shift-Option M (multiply) to jump right to a layer, specific blend mode, etc.
• Command – J to duplicate a layer
• N and K are the only (non-used keys) on a keyboard available to assign to a shortcut
• Layer pallet filter: filter the layers palette by Kind, Name, etc. to find artwork faster
03 WORK NON-DESTRUCTIVELY
• Convert layers to Smart Objects
• Use layer masks and brushes rather than eraser tool
• Hold option between layers to make a clipping mask
04 USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
• Check out the Adobe Experience Manager (XD)
For the full list of Ps shortcuts: paultrani.com/2016/03/photoshop-shortcuts
Read more on our blog.
SIX THINGS EVERY DESIGNER SHOULD DO RIGHT NOW
FAVORITE SESSIONS
7. The SXSW Interactive Festival is not just about the sessions, but also about the art
installations and brand activations. All around the city, brands and agencies pull out all
the stops to make their mark. Venues range from downtown bars to street corners and
activities can be found at every turn. Check out what we found interesting this year.
3M set up shop for the weekend at Brush Square Park to cultivate the conversation
around what the world will look like in 2050, by which the earth’s population is expected
to reach 9 billion people. Emphasizing the importance of taking steps towards a
sustainable future, 3M showcased their water and air purification products through a
brilliantly built art installation that navigated participants through a dark maze signifying
over-population and ended with a ‘purified’ area full of light.
Anima was one of the most unique installations at SXSW. When participants enter the
dark room they were immediately standing in the presence of a large, color-shifting
sphere that drifted a couple feet off the ground. The room was filled with a wavering
humming, as if you were in the presence of a large alien life form and could hear it slowly
breathing.
Created by Dutch artist Nick Verstan, the sphere was designed to react to the positioning
of people in the room. Its surface rippled and changed direction based on the viewer’s
location and how fast they brushed by it. A Microsoft Kinect, along with other motion
sensors placed in the room, captured people’s movements so that the sphere was able to
react to them in real time. As the abstract imagery was projected from within, the sphere
was continually inflated. This allowed the visualizations to feel smooth and organic as if it
were a living, breathing thing capable of basic communication.
3M INSTALLATION
ANIMA
ACTIVATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
As an official sponsor of SXSW, McDonald’s could be found in various places around the
festival. Most notably, the McDonald’s Loft boasted a VR demo featuring, among other
things, the “inside” of a Happy Meal box that artists could decorate. Using the Vive virtual
reality headset, participants were able to express their artistic abilities via the VR Happy
Meal Painting Lounge.
MCDONALD’S LOFT
8. Making its debut last year at SXSW, Mr. Robot is back and bigger than ever. For those
unfamiliar, the USA Network show focuses on Eliot Alderson, a cyber-security engineer
who turns hacker at night. A hard-to-miss activation at the festival this year was the Mr.
Robot Ferris wheel, recreated by USA Network to mimic the same ride at New York’s
Coney Island amusement park, which is near the hackers’ headquarters in the show.
MR. ROBOT
ACTIVATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
The Girls’ Lounge was a place for women to gather and network at a hectic, male
dominated event. At their pop-up location, interactive badge holders could take
a moment out of the hectic day to connect with other females in tech. Women’s
empowerment messaging was everywhere, from the candy dishes (men must pay more)
to the seating area with the hashtag #confidenceisbeautiful. The Girls’ Lounge helped
women embrace their feminine leadership powers and work together to transform
corporate culture.
GIRLS’ LOUNGE
9. 01 AUSTIN GRAFFITI PARK
If you’re looking to find an urban escape, make your way west to the Austin Graffiti Park.
You’ll find a great mix of artists, local bystanders, and tourists climbing throughout the
dusty maze of an abandoned structure. All the wall real estate is up for grabs, so bring
a can or two of spray paint to contribute your own vision to the massive collaborative
outdoor art piece.
While you’re there make a point to talk to the veteran graffiti artists, who come out every
weekend to invest time into large-scale pieces, to hear about what the park means to
them and their artistic background. The best part is that whether or not you’ve been here
before, it’ll never be the same!
02 CAPITOL BUILDING
When feeling the need for a bit of history, take a stroll up Congress St. to visit the
Capitol building. While the building itself boasts beautiful architecture and statues, the
surrounding lawn is open territory for a break. From here you can see the downtown
Austin skyline, but also let your legs take a rest from all the walking between convention
centers.
03 FOOD TRUCKS
Food trucks are the most common places to grab a bite during your time in Austin. Most
people go to the food truck yard close to the conference, where you can find everything
from lobster mac n’ cheese, kimchi fries, and fish tacos. The true trick to getting your
food truck fix is finding where the locals go when everyone takes over their city. We
found food truck gold in East 6th District, where a beloved Cajun truck brought us
gumbo, fried jambalaya, and poutine and a local taco truck where the guaca taco did not
disappoint.
04 THE REAL EAST 6TH STREET
The bar scene on 6th Street is where the people are at. Since they block the road for people to
wander from bar to bar, the true gem is going to the east end. Many conference attendees don’t
cross under the overpass, bringing you to an undisturbed artistic neighborhood. Wanderlust
bar provides a great local feel, Sebastian Foster print shop is your go-to for any and all design
withdrawals, and Bee Grocery is perfect for baked goods to a cup of coffee.
05 TEARS OF JOY
They said it would be hot in Texas, and they did not lie.
Tears of Joy is a beloved spice shop that sits on 6th Street and has free samplings of their hot
sauces and salsas. Never will leaving a shop in tears feel so good. Plus, the owner will give you a
great breakdown of spice spectrums and provide some good insight into the top spice brands.
Our favorite: Yellowbird Sauce.
06 BAT BRIDGE
A must-see in Austin is the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. The largest urban bat
colony in North America lives under this bridge, and every evening around sunset the bats
emerge all at once to fly east. It’s an incredible site that can take two to three hours to complete.
It’s definitely worth a stroll over the bridge to check it out.
07 TRUST THE LOCALS
The people in Austin are so nice that at times we thought they were messing with us. Along
with free tacos and friendships made in line, we found the best suggestions from our local
connections. A highlight of the trip: La Condesa. Though tough to get a reservation, we
managed to squeeze into this contemporary Mexican tapas styled restaurant with delicious
sangria, taquitos, and hands-down some of the best paté ever.
SXSW’ers pack their days with sessions and meetings and parties galore. There are so
many things to do and see, the culture of Austin often gets lost in the mix. Here are the
5 must-see attractions (outside of the conference) that Austin has to offer. If you get a
moment to yourself to wander, check them out!
CULTURE OUTSIDE THE CONFERENCE
01
02
03
04
05
06
10. BIOS
DINA SORSER
Account Lead
Detroit, MI
JAKE SILVAArt Director
Boston, MA
TIM DUNN
Director of Strategy
New York, NY
STEPH WULZVisual DesignerChicago, IL
SHAWNARAMSEY
Account Manager
Detroit, MI
LAURA MARTIN
Marketing Coordinator
Chicago, IL
11. Isobar is a global full-service digital agency, creatively solving critical,
complex client challenges in the digital era. We conceive, design and build
innovative experiences for the world’s largest organizations, and we enable
brand commerce by connecting powerful brand narratives with commercial
interactions. We relentlessly focus on delivering “Ideas without limits,”
and take pride in helping clients transform business processes, disrupt
industries and find new ways to connect with customers. With over 4,500
people in 70 offices worldwide, Isobar has built a borderless agency that
tackles global assignments with local depth.
CONTACT INFORMATION
(800) 700-0098
Info@US-isobar.com
@isobarUS
Isobar.com
CONTACT
