Ideas & Insight

From the Apple Newton in 1993 to 360-degree cameras today, Applied Art & Technology in Urbandale has seen it, and used it, all to create imaginative video stories for customers across almost every industry. And we're celebrating our 25th anniversary this month! It all started in 1993, just a few months after the Internet was born. George Christ (Founder/Partner), credits a focus on creative talent and new technology for keeping us fresh over our 25-year span.    From Floods to Founders We opened our...

In today’s ever-evolving business climate, trade show events still persist. Why? Because they work. Trade shows provide an excellent venue to increase your brand’s visibility, showcase your latest products and services and connect with thousands of potential customers- all within a short span of time. But with so little time and a lot of competition, how can your brand stand out?   By connecting and engaging with attendees before, during, and after the trade show. How your brand engages with customers before and after the show is just as important as the event...

There has been plenty of buzz surrounding Apple’s iPhone 8, rumored for release in September. However, the most noteworthy update the technology giant is planning on releasing this fall isn’t a new iPhone. It’s actually something called ARKit, and it may very well be the most important technological development this decade. ARKit is a tool for developers to easily build apps using augmented reality (AR), which is a technology that effectively overlays digital graphics onto a user’s view of the real world. This new feature from Apple is a big deal, and here’s...

This year marks the first year of the now annual Iowa Museum Week, and we’re smack dab in the middle of it. The state of Iowa boasts approximately 400 museums. Big and small, indoors or out, there’s a lot to see and a lot to learn, and at many of Iowa’s Museums, you can learn more by exploring interactive exhibits built by your pals at Applied Art & Technology! Here’s a rundown of a few of our favorites! 1. The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Waterloo, Iowa The mission of...

Henry Ford said “You can have any color you want as long as it’s black.” There is one huge problem with the coming VR revolution. No style. Just look at them. All bulky and only available in black. Who designed these things? Now you can be ready for the next big thing. Applied Art & Technology has teamed up with some of the most talented midcoast designers to bring you a unique line of custom designer headset wear. We call it VR/Bling. Express your personality. One look at you in your VR/Bling designed...

  Looking for new ideas for your tradeshow? We’re wrapping an extended tradeshow roadtrip and have a few ideas! Here’s a quick overview of the innovative work we did for one of our clients. Record-setting booth attendance! Our Tradeshow Experience Team was in Las Vegas with John Deere at ConExpo. Deere has already set booth attendance records throughout the show. We’re live-streaming in 360 VR Throughout the duration of the show, we not only broadcasted live from the floor at ConExpo, we were broadcasting LIVE in 360°! We’re really excited about ...

As an interactive developer, I’m pretty much always on the hunt for fresh technologies with surprising uses. And when it comes to trade shows, I’ve built enough interactives to know that the goal on a trade show floor is as much getting people to remember your brand as it is introducing new ideas. So when an on-site project took me to the Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago, I was excited to see what the biggest players were bringing to the table. This annual 3-day tradeshow in Las Vegas...

This January, Applied Art’s own Rick Vanderleest travelled to Las Vegas for CES 2016 (The International Consumer Electronics Show) where he set up and supported the software for Ooma Inc.’s booth. After the show we chatted with Rick and Alex (lead developers) on what went into making this a rousing success. 1. What were the client’s expectations/inspirations, and how did you go about meeting these expectations? Alex: The clients were looking for something engaging that could interact in real-time with the technology we created on the show floor. 2. What...

We recently shared the stage with one of our clients, The National 19th Amendment Society, at the annual Iowa Museum Association conference. We presented about Creating Content and Interactives that Connect Generations, sharing our experience of working together to concept and develop a multi-touch table interactive for the Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Museum. The Carrie Chapman Catt Multi-Touch Table chronicles Ms. Catt's life, from her farm background through her relentless leadership in seeing the 19th Amendment ratified across the country. In support...

Our interactive team recently built a sale iPad app for the Danish dairy company Arla Foods. Their eDetailing, or medical sales, app is now being used in Central America by Arla reps to inform medical doctors of the benefits and scientific information related to a selection of Arla products. No matter your industry, we champion the use of app technology. Here are our top five reasons why we recommend an iPad app as your company's next sales tool: They're robust When talking with a potential client, your reps need evidence in the form of statistics, graphs, data,...

Today's seed technology provides ag producers with drought and insect protection far beyond that available to the last generation of farmers. But understanding the value, features and methodology of these technologies can be a challenge. Multi-touch Technology At recent farm shows multi-touch technology provided producers an opportunity to learn about two of these technologies - Pioneer AQUAmax™ and AcreMax™. When a visitor places a miniature seed bag onto a multi-touch table, a corn plant grows out of the bag. Touch options appear to take the visitor to testimonials, side-by-side trials, infographics, product searches and...

Seattle's Pacific Science Center launched its new 7,000-square-foot Wellbody Academy exhibit in December 2012. The exhibit is packed full of interactives showing visitors how everyday choices affect their health and encouraging them to be proactive in pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Amaze Design in Boston worked with PSC to concept this unique exhibit. Group Delphi from Alameda, the exhibit fabricator, selected Applied Art & Technology to bring selected interactives to life: The Food Analyzer creates a fun, immersive experience encouraging visitors to consider the nutritional value of foods before including them in their daily...

The Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa, held its fourth annual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 20th. The open house launched the museum's new exhibition Danish Modern: Design for Living, which features Danish design from the 50s and 60s. Some characteristics of Danish Modern include a beautiful fusion of form and function, and flawless craftsmanship that ensures the high quality of this functional art. The museum requested Applied Art to create AV interactives for the Danish Modern exhibit, for which Applied Art provided all of the hardware. The Danish Design Today interactive, located on...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened its new visitor center near Branson, Missouri, in April, 2012. The Dewey Short Visitor Center overlooking Table Rock Dam features many AV interactive exhibits offering insight into the Corps' history, contributions, role, and responsibilities, including the building and management of Table Rock Lake Dam. The exhibits in this 15,000 square foot visitor center were designed and fabricated by Split Rock Studios. Applied Art worked closely with Split Rock in planning, developing/producing and integrating all AV interactive exhibits, whose functionality includes automatic scheduled startup and shutdown. ...

At first glance, you wouldn't know it's a museum. It looks like an Iowa farm - a house, a barn, large trees, and remnants of farming life from a century ago. This special place near Charles City, Iowa, is more than a farm; it signifies an important piece of American history. Here lies the girlhood home, which has been converted into a museum, of Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, an important proponent in the women's suffrage movement. Since the museum attracts people of all ages, the museum staff wanted to utilize technology to connect their visitors...

"What does it mean?"  "We haven't done anything wrong." "Why are they treating us like criminals?" "But I am an American citizen." Endless questions of the Japanese people living in the States raced on and on. Why were they being imprisoned at Heart Mountain? How did this happen? With the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II in full swing, the resentment and fear of all Japanese people brought about the apparent need to corral these people in one centralized place, which would be called Heart Mountain. This self-contained area in...

This blog is an overview about the differences, best uses and relative costs of the various touch monitors. Single Touch Monitor A single touch monitor is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a single touch within the display area. Touch monitors can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. In essence, your fingertip or the stylus becomes the mouse click or flick. Best uses: menus, page turning Hardware and development cost: $ Dual Touch Monitor Commonly claimed to be multi touch, dual touch refers to any touch monitor that can recognize two touches and...

The State Historical Society of Iowa celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Civil War on April 12th through the grand-opening of its Civil War mobile trailer exhibit. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was honored with the ribbon-cutting of the History on the Move trailer, which will travel to various venues throughout the state. Applied Art had the privilege to facilitate its interior and exterior design and renovation (previously it housed an Abraham Lincoln exhibit), in collaboration with Jennie Bailey of the Historic Iowa Exhibit Design ...

When visiting Waterloo, stop by the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. Applied Art worked with the museum staff to develop a high-definition Civil War chronology and an interactive that tracks the travels of each of Iowa's 63 regiments through the war. You can view more examples of our interactive and museum work by visiting our Interactive Media microsite.

Applied Art just returned from Orlando, the location of the inaugural Ag Connect Expo. The Meyocks Group worked closely with Applied Art on the booth lighting, audio visual and interactive experience. Attendees included producers, agribusiness professionals and dealer personnel who could literally kick the tires of the innovative, Des Moines-based Firestone Ag Tires. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a new Firestone agricultural tire with AD2 technology. Applied Art produced a video that played on eight 65€۝ high definition 1080p plasma monitors, and a touch-screen interactive presentation showing the...

In 1995, the German American Heritage Center Board of Directors purchased an old hotel in downtown Davenport and began remodeling the hotel. It was a small group of passionate volunteers united to preserve and celebrate German-American heritage. In 2009, the entire third floor of the hotel has been remodeled into gallery space greatly expanding the number of exhibits the heritage center has to offer. On Friday, October 2, at 6:30 P.M. the center will have a grand opening to celebrate the new expansion. Applied Art provided the German American Heritage Center with three electronic...

Over the last decade, Applied Art interactive media has had the pleasure of working with exhibit designers, museum staff, and others to create interactives ranging from simple touchscreen players to immersive interactive experiences where imagination meets media.