EVENT CONCEPT, ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN, PROGRAMMING, & BRANDING

In the Spring of 2017, Christopher leveraged Engadget’s sway in the tech space to facilitate the marriage of two often disparate fields: art and technology. With funding from Verizon, Engadget’s parent company, he conceptualized and oversaw the launch of The Alternate Realities Grant: the world’s largest award for immersive art. Five grantees each received $100,000 to develop mind-bending experiences that addressed the theme of alternate realities. The diverse collection of visual artists, educators and filmmakers, debuted their works at “The Engadget Experience,” a one-day event at the historic United Artists theater in downtown Los Angeles. The event also served as the premier for a series of short documentaries tracking the progress of each grantee’s project. 

Once again, Engadget enlisted Reena to design the event logo and develop a visual style that fit the show’s theme. With creative direction from Christopher, they came up with a visual language that played to the event’s location and the idea of altering our surroundings. The logo, with its extended ‘X’ and ‘A’ appears to be in the midst of metamorphoses. The glitchy, trippy manipulation of common Los Angeles landscapes continued the theme of augmented reality. 

Christopher oversaw the production of the event’s programming and the corresponding documentary series. A collection of talks, panels and screenings offered a tightly curated audience of 800-plus attendees a glimpse at the future, where technology and the arts come together in unexpected ways. The guest list included executives and creatives from technological juggernauts to esteemed cultural institutions including Google, Facebook, YouTube, Oculus, RSA, Technicolor, Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Credits:

• Creative Direction & Programming: Christopher Trout

• Logo Design & Creative Concept: Reena Karia

• Environmental Graphic Design: Marina Murad

• Event Guide & Badges: Verizon Media Design Team

• Event Photography: Getty Images