We’re all familiar with the feeling that bubbles up when a web page doesn’t refresh quickly enough, or a video takes longer than a few seconds to buffer. Reload rage, if you will. A minute feels like eternity when you’re used to things taking half a second. While the advent of the Internet put our […]
New York City is a melting pot, and the steam rising from that pot carries a heavy scent. Though New Yorkers may resound with a unanimous cry of “Garbage!” when asked what their city smells like, a closer inspection of the individual neighborhoods reveals a more nuanced answer to the question. Explore the map below […]
At this year’s SXSW, an international group of scent specialists laid out their vision for scent as the next big storytelling tool because it allows the creator to connect with the audience in a more visceral, memorable way. During the panel, Artist Frederik Duerinck explained his Famous Deaths project, an installation of “smell documentaries” in which […]
“It’s garbage. Yeah, definitely garbage.” “Well… no, maybe it’s more on the shit spectrum.” “No way — it’s vomit. Vomit, for sure.” “Absolutely not. It’s flowers, lovely flowers, or better yet, maybe it’s just love.” Only in a city as vibrant and culturally diverse as New York will you get this kind of dialogue, because […]
Business is down, but classic scents still hold allure. The fragrance business is suffering from growing pains. The oversaturated market has made it difficult for new scents to sell, forcing perfume makers to rethink their strategies. The main issue is there’s a lack of differentiation between many scents on the market, according to experts. And […]
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then how much is a smell? Though we have yet to calculate an exact exchange rate, we do know that images have the power to elicit powerful, visceral sensory reactions. Real or imagined, smells can evoke deeply personal memories or universal experiences. From roasting meat to using a […]
Of the five senses, smell is by far the most powerful – the only one hard wired to our brains. Smell is linked to memory and taste, and it’s deeply personal – each of us have entirely different reactions to odors wafting through the air or the foods we eat. But while we’ve examined scent […]
The Internet is a complex, interlocking city. User-experience designers serve as urban planners, putting in place the systems that guide us through the space. Web designers are the architects, giving shape to the products we interact with. And then, of course, there are the citizens. These individuals give each product a distinctive personality. By virtue […]
By Alexander Jutkowitz An invisible thread connects some of the world’s biggest pop stars and their mega-hits, from Britney Spears “…Baby One More Time” to Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” and, more recently, The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face.” That thread is Max Martin, the Swedish songwriter who wrote these and many more of […]
By Annie Epstein Since the days of Scheherazade, a story has been broken into chapters and sequels and cliffhangers, driving audiences to the edge of insanity in anticipation of each new installment. But these days, we rely on television and movies for one thousand and one hours of entertainment. The silver screen was not always […]