Sibling Rivalry Highlights World Trade Center’s Vast Oculus Space with Multiple Mesmerizing Visual Brand Experiences
Nearly nine months after opening to the public, the $4 billion World Trade Center Oculus transit hub in downtown Manhattan has officially revealed its full capabilities as a multi-leveled shopping center and advertising outlet with the launch of Westfield World Trade Center.
Amidst storefronts for popular, high end staples such as Apple, Hugo Boss and Kate Spade lies a vast brand activation space within the the Santiago Calatrava-designed Oculus, that plays home to a gallery of visually enticing screens. It is within this mesmerizing space that New York-based production studio, Sibling Rivalry, has made its presence and production prowess known with a continuous stream visual branding projects.
Beginning with a commission by Ford and their global agency partner GTB to collaboratively bring to life vivid content that celebrates life moments and the emotions we feel during those experiences, Sibling Rivalry has continued to be prolific within the Oculus. Among the studio’s efforts in the subsequent months since the massive space opened include projects for Breast Cancer Month, the holidays, a collaboration with Westfield to visualize their launch and brand messaging, and most recently, a partnership with Mother New York that resulted in a “Water Clouds” public art installation for Stella Artois’ World Water Day campaign.
“It’s been a really great experience and a chance for us to become experts in the field of big screen technology,” Sibling Partner Maggie Meade says. “When dealing with such a varied audience – New Yorkers, tourists and commuters – you have to layer meaning. Some people will only glance at the screen, while others stop and take a selfie. We’ve used every technique, from beautiful live-action footage with specialty camera rigs for custom screen sizes, to witty language, playful animations, bubbles and stylish imagery to draw people in. It’s deceptively simple but upon repeated viewing there are small nuances that stand out, as well as an overarching strategy that changes the animation and color palette based on the time of day and traffic flow.”
By taking into consideration clean design, speed of type as it relates to screen size and location as well as how much messaging can be consumed in the :10 second loop of media, Sibling Rivalry has been able to attract a constant flow of passersby through its multiple brand experiences with a very small window of time to work with. “Since the screens vary so vastly in size, the idea has to be adapted to communicate its message in squares, extreme verticals and the 280 foot horizontal,” Meade explains “The large horizontal is unique in its challenge, as you can not see or walk the full length of the screen within the :10 that the content runs, so the messaging needs to be presented with strategic intent.”
Despite the varying screen dimensions, time constraints and strategic positioning issues, Meade and the team at Sibling including fellow Co-Founders/Directors Joe Wright and Mikon van Gastel, have been more than up for the task as the steady stream of workflow within the Oculus continues. “We are problem solvers,” Meade adds. “We love a challenge and the Oculus is one of those unique sites that lets you push your creative and production limits. While each brand has its own creative and challenges, the screens are there as a tool. We have gained true insight on what works and what doesn’t work for the Oculus screens. The messaging needs to be clear and bold and always high res, as those screens show off all flaws. The brand is always a part of a loop, so you want to stand out and get noticed once your content runs. Creatively, we’ve been able to successfully partner with our clients or agencies and help strategize the best way to execute their vision.”
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About Sibling Rivalry:
Sibling Rivalry creates stories with a distinct design sensibility. Our multi-disciplinary team provides production solutions for live action commercial, digital, post production, experiential, as well as design and branding. We produce and create content across all media for a broad spectrum of clients, agencies and brands. Our methodology is driven by collaboration. We are all Siblings.