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(Jake Barton, “Like Falling In Love”, 2012)

Link to Barton’s website: https://localprojects.net/

Jake Barton is an American designer who is also the founder of the company “Local Projects.” To introduce his educational background, Barton got a Bachelor in Science of Speech at Northwestern University and studied at New York University for his M.P.S. Interactive Telecommunications. He then recruited a media design team to launch his company.

Local projects is a media and physical design company that invents and build upon new media form to help customers connect with algorithms and up to date technology. Barton mainly focuses on making products that explores the relationship between technology and emotions that are most of the times derived from customers.

One of Barton’s most admirable work  is the media of the 9/11 museum in New York City. This piece was created through a custom algorithm that reproduced clips of video, text and audio of that tragic day. Although the contents could have been sensitive, I felt that Barton’s approach to this tragedy was smart. His approach was indirect and subtle enough to not upset those who were victimized, but also strong enough to get the message across. His balance and approach was ideal.

Barton’s usage of pictures and examples of his algorithmic products makes the talk more engaging. It definitely catches attention of the viewers and also makes his words more understandable. Also the interaction with the viewers by asking questions was smart.