company - ANTENNA

Providing just concepts for some of the most well known clients in the world in and of itself is enormously successful. Beyond this, 37 prestigious awards for recognition of talent and impeccable design tactics. Two extraordinary people started this company in ’97, combining technological complexity with a sense of humanity. (1)

Intelligent product designers, Sigi Moeslinger and Masamichi Udagawa, created their firm with a hazy distinction between installation and product. From prototype to furniture design, communication concepts to Haagan-Dazs beverage trays, this company became NYC recognized just 2 years after their founding. They explore technology design, human interaction, commercial design, as well as experiment with conceptual designs.

One of their earliest projects was with the MTA/NYC transit lines. Regarding technology design, they created the user-friendly touch screen interface still used 10 years later. Following this, the JetBlue vending machine interface, “The Door” at the Walker Art Center, Bloomingdale’s POWER FLOWER motion sensors, and many other electronic pieces of art. Ben Galbraith’s blog quotes Moesligner regarding their Door project, “To try and make websites appealing in the context of a museum with a bunch of other physical, real objects, we made this beautiful transparent door that you push. Every 15 degrees, a new website shows up on the display”. (3) These projects show the designers connection with human emotion and reaction. Many of their other developments convey this exploration.

When bustling onto the subway, the last thing most people notice is the design of their train and the feel they are obtaining from its atmosphere. Usually people are concerned with where they are going or who is around them. ANTENNA, however, designed solely with these passengers in mind. Human interaction: a person’s subconscious attitude in a better environment. “The essence is to lead people; design is the embodiment of the right information at the right time." –Sigi. Design to help others?

Commercially, Antenna worked with Bloomingdale’s by creating interactive flower logos that illuminated as an observer walked by. They designed office furniture for Knoll as well as Bloomberg hardware design. Their clients work with them to be used-focused and identity savvy. Sometimes they can use opportunities to think outside the box, experiment, and conceptualize.

One conceptual exploration of ideas is their NYC Streetlife. They came up with ideas such as, Don’t Walk signs on streets showing exercises to do while waiting; a way to use the time without wasting it, to prevent jaywalking as well as a way to encourage people to strike up conversation. Also, they have a concept for built-in signs where people could sit underneath to write messages. This would encourage better behavior for people who want to express themselves publicly. (3) With a physical and direct approach, Antenna is researching the different reactions of humans. In understanding all types of people, they recognize this will help further produce art that can cause pleasurable reaction.

Sigi selflessly explains, “We are always in the situation of creating things for situations that we don’t know, so you need to do research, build prototypes, and study how people react to them.”(3) A designer should please its client, yes, but it is imperative to understand exactly WHO will be experiencing the product’s end result, how they may react, and, as Antenna successfully experimented, if it makes the user feel a positive emotion such contentment or enlightenment. Quoting Bloomberg’s design director, Raquel Tudela, "at this point, their egos could be through the roof. But they wanted to understand who we are and work according to that.”

This happened to be the perfect company for someone like me to research. All I ever ponder about is the relationship between fine art and design aesthetics. How far they can coincide? Quoting Senior Vide President of Knoll in Businessweek, “’They aren't afraid of the tenuous line between art and design.’ It's precisely this fearlessness that has carried the little firm into big business.” (4)

This quote is so relieving to read for someone like me; constantly pondering what amount of success can come about from that correlation. Not only did they do that for me, but this pair proved it is not all business and money-making. Their FIRST priority is to make others react positively. That quality in a big business will gain anyone’s respect.