How long has Applied Art been in business?
Applied Art & Technology was started in the fall of 1993 with the goal of “applying art to technology.” 1993 was a great time for technology. The World Wide Web was released by CERN, and the Macintosh computer was 9 years old, having developed into a capable graphics machine with Adobe Photoshop. Phillips had also released their CDI interactive video system, and we were very early into interactive design and programming.
The roots of the company are diverse, coming from film and video production, post-production, advertising and corporate training backgrounds. We had the first AVID online digital editing suite in the Midwest.
In what do you specialize?
True to our roots, we are still a diverse company today. Our overall specialty is electronic media through which we help businesses communicate. Video production, animation, graphic design, interactives, television, web design and development, flash animation, trade shows, streaming video, digital signage, scoreboards and ribbons, museum interactives, and kiosks are all a part of our portfolio of work.
Recently we have had crews in 10 different countries on six continents; created interactive exhibits for clients in six states; and developed tradeshow presentations for companies like Honeywell Aerospace, Whirlpool, Hisense, CNET and John Deere.
Where can we see your work?
You can see our work all over – on television, in museums, sports arenas, online, at trade shows, in corporate training rooms, sales presentations, lobbies, waiting rooms – but you don’t know we created it. We are behind the curtain.
What makes your agency stand apart from the others in this (and other) communities?
Because we do so many things, we can use what we learn in one area and apply it to another. We also work very hard on developing collaboration and sharing between our people.
Need steaming video for your website? Not only do we have web developers, but we also have a video producer who can walk you down the hall to our studio. We all work very closely together, which also means we are better able to manage our clients’ budgets.
What makes an organization an ideal client for Applied Art?
Clients that want to do something different. We are really good at doing things we’ve never done before. You can’t get noticed unless you are different. We love that creative challenge.
How can people get a hold of you should they want to explore a project?
Call us or go to our web site. We’re friendly. 