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Applied Art & Technology Interactive Media
Creating computer interactives and integrating video elements into your exhibits can feel like foreign territory to some exhibit designers and planners. Let Applied Art & Technology’s interactive media team be your guide. It’s a familiar trip for us.
Tell us what you or your client would like to communicate. We’ll work with you each step of the way to concept, develop and integrate innovative, reliable presentations and interactives that bring your message to life for years to come.
Interactive Services
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. Turn to Applied Art for:
Interactive Media Portfolio
Let the styles and functionality of the interactives in our portfolio inspire your creativity … but don’t limit your thinking. We specialize in helping you realize the custom interactive you’re concepting, and welcome the opportunity to design and deliver something that’s never been done before!
Video, Graphics & Animation
Whether your content revolves around history, science, or nature, Applied Art producers work closely with you to craft a memorable, professional video documentary. We can help research content, write AV/interactive scripts, locate images/video, or create visual elements.
We can capture full high-definition (HD) or standard-definition (SD) video in our 3,000 sq. ft. soundstage or on location. We have extensive experience conducting oral histories and interviews, casting and directing talent, designing sets and managing productions. Professional lighting and sound expertise ensure a quality end product. After producing your audio track, we pull your production together in one of our 3 AVID edit suites or on a Final Cut station, where we can integrate new or existing footage, work with still images (we know all about the Ken Burns Effect!), reinforce your message with text and graphics, and add sound effects, music, and captioning , even surround sound.
Our designers can integrate your graphic elements or fashion your look for you. We specialize in 2D/3D animation so you can visualize concepts or technical information that cannot be presented with still images or video.
MIDAMERICAN ENERGY , Virtual Power Plant Tours This series of 3D animated virtual power plant tours was created by closely working with client subject matter experts. The tours are designed to provide a simple overview of how the different power plants operate to grade school level students and adults.
SULLIVAN BROS. IOWA VETERANS MUSEUM , 21st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Documentary The Sullivan Bros. museum focuses on telling the stories of Iowa veterans from the Civil War through current conflicts. This 6-minute documentary , one of three that was produced for the museum , is based on a first-person account of the travels, battles and efforts of this Civil War infantry division. The documentary features full high-definition resolution and 5.1 surround sound.
LIVING HISTORY FARMS , History of Hybrid Corn In this on-location production, a grandfather recounts to his grandson how farming and changed when hybrid seed became available. The production includes footage both from the grandfather’s era up to current day.
Sullivan Bros. Iowa Veterans Museum , Veteran Oral Histories
While Applied Art has extensive experience in conducting and capturing one-on-one interviews, these oral histories were provided to Applied Art by the museum on mini-DV. Custom graphics were designed to provide a quality presentation of these standard-definition videos on the museum’s new high-definition mini-theater screens.
Portfolio , Computer Interactives
More stories to tell than your space allows? Need to better engage visitors in your message? Expect to add more content as time goes on? Message need frequent updates?
With computer interactives, you can present a wealth of information in a small space and can be based around a variety and mixture of content , documentaries, photos, music, maps, interviews, animations and more.
In addition to typical touchscreen or pushbutton interfaces, Applied Art can also integrate interesting ways for visitors to interact with your content , barcode readers, RFID, sensor mats, shadow sensing, multi-touch tables , let us know what you’re trying to accomplish and we can help you plan.
With interactives, visitors select the content that most interests them, improving the staying power of your displays. And, we can build easy-to-use content management into your application so you can add or change content after installation.
We offer a complete turnkey solution , design, development, hardware and support.
Sullivan Bros. Iowa Veterans Museum , Communication Stations
Using actual communications of the era, visitors learn about the lives and experiences of veterans and those who supported them on the home front. Museum visitors select stories of interest on eight different war era stations. Civil War stations feature diary entries, news stories, letters and music; stories from current conflicts feature emails and voice mails along with broadcast and print news from the front. The museum can continue to add stories using a web-based content management system.
Exhibit Design: Split Rock Studios
SULLIVAN BROS. IOWA VETERANS MUSEUM , Dog Tag Interactives
Visitors are assigned a persona , age, gender and race , by scanning a bar-coded dog tag at one of the seven stations located throughout the museum. The visitor keeps the same persona throughout that day’s visit. Each of the seven stations is located in a different war era and provides a 3-part story of the persona’s experience during that era. Visitors can see how America’s war efforts affected everyone , those who went to battle and those who remained at home, as well as how wartime situations change over time, from the Civil War through today’s current conflicts.
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA , Old Capitol Children’s Diaries
Actual children’s diaries from the 1800’s were, of course, too fragile to be handled by the public. To bring them to Old Capitol’s visitors, segments were scanned, transcribed and recorded for display and playback on the large LCD screen, along with information on the diary’s owner and other information about the era in which the owner lived. Visitors select a “diary” from the shelf and place it into the slot on the countertop. RFID technology identifies the diary and displays its stories on the screen.
Exhibit Design: Presentations, Inc.
LIVING HISTORY FARMS , 100 Years of Agriculture
This collection of touchscreen-driven stations describes the changes in agriculture over the last century. Since content is presented through a secure web browser, the screens and navigation were created using simple web graphics and HTML formatting. This 3-touchscreen turnkey installation is now in its sixth year of trouble-free seasonal operation using an integrated hardware configuration designed and installed by Applied Art. Exhibit Design: Split Rock Studios
SULLIVAN BROS. IOWA VETERANS MUSEUM , Touchscreen Documentaries Three-part mini-documentaries were created for playback on touchscreen computers integrated into exhibits at the museum. Exhibit Design: Split Rock Studios
SULLIVAN BROS. IOWA VETERANS MUSEUM , Veteran Search Stations As the museum continues to add names and information to its Iowa veteran database, these touchscreen-based lobby stations allow visitors to quickly determine what information is available on their ancestors, relatives or friends before entering the museum. Information automatically updates daily. Exhibit Design: Split Rock Studios
Sullivan Bros. Iowa Veterans Museum , Veterans Honor Roll Within the memorial area of the museum, this constantly scrolling listing of veterans missing and killed in action reminds visitors of the sacrifices made by Iowans from the Civil War through today’s current conflicts. By entering a veteran last name on a small touchscreen next to the scrolling list, visitors can advance the listing to view the name of a loved one or ancestor. The listing is projected onto edge-lit glass. Exhibit Design: Split Rock Studios
Portfolio , Immersives
Show your visitors what it’s like to “be there.” The Applied Art team can create virtual environments or environmental elements based on 3D graphics, photos, video, or a mix of these media. The environment can be self-contained with the electronic display or integrated into dioramas or structural elements. Interactivity can be designed to accommodate a single visitor, multiple visitors or even allow competition or collaboration.
Iowa Hall of Pride , You Make the Call
Visitors lean into the umpire’s mask to view high school baseball and softball pitches coming at them in 3D! After pressing the ball or strike button, the visitor hears from the crowd whether the call was a good one. Game spectators can view the action in high-definition projection. Applied Art services included on-location stereo high-definition video production, 3D animated pitches, custom programming and installation. Exhibit Design: Synthesis Design
Iowa Hall of Pride , You’re the Ref Four visitors at a time can score a high school wrestling match in You’re the Ref. Visitors use a touchscreen to award points as they watch the match from the referee’s point of view. At the end, visitors compare the points awarded to the official score. This activity includes studio HD Steadicam footage of scripted wrestling matches. Custom programming and networking track the input and timing of visitor scoring, then display final results on the big screen. Exhibit Design: Synthesis Design
IOWA HALL OF PRIDE , All-State Choir Virtual Experience Each year, Iowa’s best 650 high school musicians are selected to perform at the All-State Music Festival. Applied Art captured this performance in high-definition surround sound , simultaneously from 3 different locations. As visitors to the Iowa Hall of Pride experience this performance on the large screen, they use a touchscreen to switch from one point of view to another in real time, choosing to experience the performance from the audience, choir or band/orchestra perspective. Exhibit Design: Synthesis Design
JOHN DEERE AMS , GreenStar™ 2 Simulator John Deere AMS teamed up with Applied Art to create interactive simulators to demonstrate the capabilities of its ag management solution—the GreenStar™ 2. Simulators were displayed at meetings, farm shows, and dealer training sessions. Applied Art created a 3D farm field that is displayed on a large LCD. Using an actual John Deere steering wheel, users can steer the tractor around within the field. Pressing a "resume" button on the simulator engages the guidance feature, which takes over guiding the tractor down the rows.
Portfolio , Games & Activities
Engage visitors and reinforce your message through interactive games and activities that give visitors control over the outcome of their experience , through scorekeeping, pass/fail/retry feedback, or simple exploration.
Applied Art will work with you to help conceptualize unique game concepts that achieve your objectives. Experienced graphic designers and programmers will create, test and integrate your activity into your museum exhibit.
JEL Iowa , Smoking or Non
This quick three-button game demonstrates the effects of second-hand smoke on diners in a restaurant. The visitor controls the maitre d’ who attempts to minimize diner discomfort by filling a seltzer bottle then extinguishing cigarettes at smokers’ tables before other diners turn green and expire.
CIPCO Energy , Power Grid Maintaining the electrical power grid requires a balancing act between supply and demand. This activity allows the visitor to maintain this balance by increasing or decreasing power production and buying or selling electricity to match energy needs.
Maytag , Stock Me Up This simple retail web game reinforces a key message about large refrigerator capacity. Visitors drag and drop food into the refrigerator, trying to completely stock it three times before the clock runs out.
Better Homes & Gardens , Garden Planner Some activities allow exploration , in this case, selecting and arranging plants, trees and structures into a home garden. Item attributes such as size, color, location and orientation can be changed. A custom drag-and-drop activity such as this can be used to create unique items or environments, experiment with item options and behaviors, and
Portfolio , Contributory Experiences
Allow visitors, community , or an even more diverse audience , to contribute to your exhibit content. With a full range of web and interactive a development experience, Applied Art can select and configure your hardware and combine technologies in any number of ways to allow others to contribute to your creations. Applications could include on-site polling, digital note-posting or video capture, even stories, photos and video submitted remotely via the web.
Iowa Hall of Pride , High School Modules These touchscreen kiosks feature content submitted by Iowa’s 400+ high schools. Visitors can then view images and read about their town, its notable people and events, and schools. Four years before the facility was to open, Applied Art developed a web-based Content Management System and distributed a user manual, introductory video, and a secure user name and password to each high school in the state. Students, teachers, historians, and volunteers organized the information and uploaded photos, stories, movies, school songs, district maps, trivia questions and a wealth of information into the database for review and approval. When the facility opened in February 2005, more than 200 of Iowa’s high schools had contributed information.
Exhibit Design: Synthesis Design
Portfolio , Traveling & Off-site Exhibits
Traveling and off-site exhibit installations take your message right to your audience. We can help you deliver that message by assisting with exhibit design and fabrication, if needed, or simply contributing the audio-visual and interactive aspects of the exhibit. We offer storage and shipping and, if needed, remote monitoring and support, too.
MidAmerican Energy , Traveling & Permanent Kiosks Over the last several years, Applied Art was a member of the team developing and installing permanent informational kiosks in Midwest event centers. In addition, Applied Art designed and fabricated several traveling kiosks that are used for seasonal or short-term installations. Permanent installations are networked and notify Applied Art if a system is not functioning. The network connection also allows content to be updated without a site visit and provides usage statistics.
Services include: Software design, development and updates Electronics specification, procurement and installation Field electronics installation Ongoing monitoring and support Traveling exhibit storage, delivery and setup/retrieval
DANISH IMMIGRANT MUSEUM , Victor Borge Traveling Museum This traveling exhibit celebrates the 100th anniversary of Victor Borge’s birth. Applied Art worked closely with the museum to create this exhibit by providing exhibit design and fabrication, graphic design and production, and audio-visual equipment and programming.
Maytag Mobile Marketing When Maytag and Jenn-Air sent three mobile marketing teams on the road to events and stoes, Applied Art coordinated the development and integration of all audio-visual and interactive elements. Maytag displays included sweepstakes-entry kiosks, while the Jenn-Air display provided live-camera switching for kitchen demonstrations.
Portfolio , INSTALLATION & INTEGRATION
Successful implementation of audio-visual/interactive exhibits , the type that performs reliably for years , starts in your exhibit’s planning phase. Although we can come in on your project at virtually any stage, we have found that providing complete turnkey services results in the highest quality, most reliable end product for you.
Reliable interactives result from managing many variables: Having a solid plan for exhibit functionality Controlling environmental conditions Specifying and procuring quality hardware Designing and programming solid software Pre-testing and professionally installing electronics Properly integrating control systems and network connections
All are included in Applied Art’s turnkey development service and help to ensure smooth installation and your ultimate satisfaction. We offer ongoing support plans to help troubleshoot and maintain your exhibits as well as detailed documentation for your records.
About Us
Applied Art & Technology, an award-winning video production and interactive media company, is based in Des Moines and offers the exceptional talents of professionals from many creative disciplines to meet your communication needs.
Since 1993, Applied Art has served a broad array of clients including advertising agencies, governmental agencies, insurance companies, manufacturers, hospitals, universities, charities, museums and other attractions, and more.
Applied Art’s interactive media team helps you find innovative ways to deliver your message , from simple touchscreen applications to immersive experiences to web/kiosk participatory activities. We provide complete turnkey services to plan, script, produce, develop, integrate, and support your interactives.
Professional film and video production capabilities offer full-service on-location production as well as a 3,000-square-foot sound stage. We have extensive experience with full broadcast standard high-definition production. Three post-production suites include digital state-of-the-art non-linear editing in both standard- and high-definition format.
Award-winning graphics, 2D and 3D animation add impact to communications and allow concept, process, location or cutaway visualization.