Second Story is an innovation center pioneering new interactive experiences. We push the boundaries of storytelling for brands and institutions across digital channels—web, mobile, and installations—empowering audiences to connect and share.
Who We Are
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News
SapientNitro + Second Story
Our 18-year mission to ‘elevate the art of storytelling’ is amplified and expanded through SapientNitro’s acquisition. Together we will redefine storytelling for today’s always-on culture by crafting experiences that seamlessly blend physical and digital environments—from web and mobile to in-store and in-venue. Learn more at Adweek or on Sapient’s website.
Communication Arts Annual & Website Feature
Our Vault of the Secret Formula project is featured in Communication Arts’ 2013 annual and on its website, having received an Award of Excellence in its interactive competition late last year. Called “beautifully executed” and “inventive” by one of the judges, we’re thrilled that this project is continuing to receive attention.
DSE Content Award
The Digital Signage Expo 2013 Awards banquet took place last night in Las Vegas, and we took home a Gold Content Award for our Bubble-izer project. We’re grateful for the honor!
AIGA Article
Supporting experimentation and collaboration while encouraging efficiency, the layout of the studio is a crucial component of every design team’s success. AIGA and Adobe have launched an initiative to explore the future of the workspace, and Creative Director Daniel Meyers has contributed one of the series’ first essays. Read here about the studio we envision for 2015.
Arc at the Hollywood Theatre
Join us at the historic Hollywood Theatre on Thursday, February 28th for Arc, a theatrical program dedicated to the art, creativity, and complexity of animated infographics. The screening will focus on the confluence of storytelling and data visualizations, an intersection that will appeal to interaction designers, journalists, writers, researchers, number-junkies, and analysts alike. A panel with our Andrew DeVigal, former multimedia editor at the New York Times, and Dino Citaro of Periscopic will follow the screening. Click here for a sneak peek!
University of Oregon School of Journalism & Communication
Creative Directors David Waingarten and Andrew DeVigal spent yesterday evening with graduate students from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication discussing the impact of emerging media on their field of study. With the journalism industry in a perpetual state of flux, we relish the opportunity to get students thinking about new professional avenues to explore and different ways to apply their skills.
SVA Workshop
Last week, Producer Traci Sym and Creative Director Daniel Meyers traveled to New York to host a workshop for Interaction Design MFA candidates at the School of Visual Arts. Over the course of two days, the students explored the relationships between media, narrative, and space, inspiring our team with their creativity and enthusiasm.
PWA Career Day
We were delighted to once again be a part of Portland Workforce Alliance‘s Career Day. The organization fosters relationships between local businesses and Portland’s public schools, and for the past couple of years we’ve worked with them to share with current students a bit about ourselves, our studio, and our work. From developers to designers to creative directors, the high-schoolers spent time learning about the diverse professional paths our team members took before ending up at Second Story. We hope they enjoyed the day as much as we did.
MoMA: Inventing Abstraction
We recently completed work on a website for the Museum of Modern Art’s Inventing Abstraction exhibit, on view now through April 15, 2013. Combining biographical information and artwork, the site allows visitors to see associations between early abstract artists and explore influential works from the period. For more information, take a peek at our project page.
Ecological Urbanism App & SXSW Interactive
The Ecological Urbanism app we created for the Harvard Graduate School of Design has been selected as a finalist for a SXSW Interactive Award in the Educational Resource category! We’re up against a diverse array of projects– here’s hoping things go our way at the awards ceremony on March 12.
Innovation in Media Arts Award
We are ecstatic to have received this year’s Innovation in Media Arts Award at the annual meeting of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall. An interactive table experience we created with the film and television industry in mind welcomed the standing-room-only crowd to the event, and they were then treated to an as-yet-unaired clip from season 3 of Portlandia courtesy of Carrie Brownstein, a look back at the year in Oregon film from Gus Van Sant, and some encouraging words from Governor Kitzhaber, a tireless advocate for the continued development of our state as a hub for film and television production. We’re very proud to be a part of Oregon’s creative community and were thrilled to be recognized by the place we call home.
“Design for Wonder” in Los Angeles
A guest of the Los Angeles chapter of the AIGA, Principal Julie Beeler will present “Design for Wonder” on January 16th at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA. Please join her as she explores how new forms of storytelling, narrative, and context can be designed to engage, inspire, educate, entertain, and enchant audiences.
Guest Blogging for PBS’s Art21 Blog
Content and Media Producer Michael Neault has just begun his stint as a guest blogger for PBS’s Art21 blog. In a series of posts over the next few weeks, he’ll share his thoughts about the relationship between the brain, art, and technology. We look forward to learning more from Michael about the nature of perception and how research on cognition is affecting our understanding of art history.
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Blog
What do you get when you combine a PixLed F-30 LED Mesh and a little creative energy? A low-tech, tactile musical instrument, of course! Check out Aurora, a recent experiment from our lab.
Creative Director Daniel Meyers explains how we leverage emerging technologies to visualize 3D spaces during the design process.
The concepting phase of a project is when we get to do our most fun work. Here are some of the tools we keep in our creative kit.
Recent Posts
Playing Dress-Up
Do You See Data All Around You?
Field Notes from CES 2013
Aurora: a low tech, tactile, musical instrument
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Twitter
By mapping over 260,000 noise complaints in NYC, geographers locate loudest and quietest parts of the city: t.co/2jaCrbZQgr
Rules of storytelling from the masters at Pixar: t.co/MVyE28AoIk
Artist in Brooklyn uses magazine scraps to recreate famous paintings: t.co/iq39wY51Pv
On gray days in #pdx, it's easy to forget what the sun even looks like. Alan Friedman's incredible photos remind us t.co/Ylu0i6zGtn
RT @drewvigal: With all this talk about working remotely or in the office, here's a different way to "look" at it » t.co/i2Yg4FSxKF
Cheers to Bartendro, the open source robot bartender t.co/fYYzuhcnTu
The White House like you've never seen it before: process photos from its late '40s - early '50s gut renovation t.co/Ewf6Ru64G3
Bringing a painting to life: check out this article from the Boston Globe abt the exhibit we worked on w/ @mfaboston t.co/EjlDgy8goF
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Join Us
Help us push boundaries, innovate, and redefine the world of interactive storytelling. If you want to make an impact and challenge yourself, join our team. We are driven by design, technology, and the magic moment when concepts come to life.
Open Positions
We enjoy working with and need people from diverse and eclectic backgrounds from the visual arts, engineering, film, liberal arts, and humanities. The formula is simple: combine a shared love for storytelling, technology, and a desire to make great things.
Send your information to joinus@secondstory.com, show us your work, and let us know why you want to be part of our team.
Interactive Art Director
Innovation Lab Assistant
Lead Interaction Designer
Filmmaker
Opportunities
We are always looking to collaborate with new people to enliven the studio and bring new perspectives to our work. Our active internship, apprenticeship, and artist-in-residence programs focus on training, collaborative two-way learning, and providing real-world experience.
Please send an introduction, your resume, and a link to your work to joinus@secondstory.com
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Team
We are dreamers, thinkers and makers who are passionate about blending media, ideas, and technology. We playfully explore and apply new ideas, transforming challenges into engaging and memorable experiences.
Leadership
Julie Beeler
Founder
Julie is the co-founder of Second Story and with a background in visual design, art history, and the liberal arts, Julie leads the studio in shaping unique, innovative, interactive experiences that pique curiosity, spur discovery, and inspire audiences. Julie has defined and sustained an approach to interactive media design that focuses on reaching diverse audiences while pushing the limits of technological innovation. From concept through completion, Julie interacts with various industry disciplines, guiding the studio to realize holistic approaches to successful projects. Julie is a frequent speaker at various conferences and schools across the country on topics ranging from interactive design methodologies to usability and the marriage of rich content and technology. Julie graduated magna cum laude with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and Art History from the University of the Pacific.
Brad Johnson
Founder
Brad experienced the explosion of CD-ROM-based multimedia at the height of its popularity in the early ’90s in the Bay Area. The enchanting, personalized quality of these self-directed, rich-media experiences inspired him to cultivate a unique area of specialization, combining compelling content with innovative interactivity. Despite his foundation in the visual arts, Brad’s ‘inside-out’ approach to interactive media creation emphasizes story, structure, content, and functionality. For over 17 years Brad led the studio’s design of media experiences—from early strategy and planning through information, interaction, and sensory design. Today Brad mentors team members, is a resource for creative insight, and helps set new strategic directions for the studio.
Thomas Wester
Innovation Director
Thomas leads Second Story Labs, an incubator for new ideas and projects that explore the innovative use of technology to create cutting-edge interactive experiences. He engages with current and potential clients, partners, and the community, and guides R&D efforts to inform technology choices, build capabilities, and expand the studio’s technical competence. Thomas has led the technical execution of all studio projects since he joined the studio in 2003. Prior to this, he was a technology entrepreneur, co-developing Screenweaver, a successful tool for Flash developers. Thomas has a BE from Hogeschool van Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jennifer Guibord
Studio Director
Jennifer orchestrates studio processes and team members, ensuring that the studio continues to create interactive experiences that engage, inspire, and inform audiences. Prior to assuming the role of studio director, she produced a wide variety of Web sites and interactive experiences for the studio, overseeing project development and management. Jennifer started her professional career at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum as a research associate, gaining an in-depth understanding of collections management, exhibits, education, and research. Jennifer obtained her BA in Anthropology at St. Lawrence University.
David Waingarten
Creative Director
David’s extensive storytelling background draws on his experiences as a feature filmmaker, musician, editor, and writer. As Creative Director, David works with clients to develop high-level narrative and storytelling strategies that capture the heart and DNA of studio projects, laying the foundations for engaging, intuitive, and inspirational visitor experiences. David ensures that the core creative and narrative goals of a project are met, from early concepts through installation. He leads team members across disciplines, guiding the creative force within the studio and inspiring excellence and laughter.
Daniel Meyers
Creative Director, Environments
Daniel's background is in the design of immersive, experience and narrative-driven physical environments. His belief in the power of our work to make lasting, meaningful connections with audiences permeates his efforts from concept to completion, and ensures consistent application of the project vision. Daniel works with clients and diverse teams to create projects that join design, technology, and storytelling seamlessly and with one voice. Daniel is actively engaged in education and mentorship, teaching and lecturing at universities and in the public schools. Daniel holds an M.Arch from the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon, and a BA in English Literature from Reed College.
Andrew DeVigal
Creative Director
Andrew is a visionary storyteller with a comprehensive background in interactive and multimedia journalism. In addition to providing creative and strategic direction, Andrew instills innovative methodologies to storytelling and audience engagement, orchestrates diverse team talents and fosters collaboration across the studio. As the former multimedia editor at The New York Times, he pioneered new approaches to interactive storytelling maintaining his commitment to journalistic integrity. Andrew managed a staff of multimedia journalists and technologists whose projects received many accolades including a Dupont and Emmy awards. In a previous life, he ran his own design agency, created InteractiveNarratives.org and was a multimedia journalism professor in San Francisco.
Design
Michael J Godfrey
User Experience Design Director
Michael leads strategic development and user experience design for studio projects. He guides the studio's approach to story structures, information architecture, physical experiences, interfaces, and master plans. Michael's background in journalism and interaction design provides a strong foundation for communicating the team’s vision to clients and stakeholders. Before joining Second Story, Michael worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and design studios in Germany and Brazil. Michael received a BFA in Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Chris DeWan
Art Director + Lead Interaction Designer
As Art Director, Chris oversees the visual design of all projects, in addition to the execution of user interface and graphic design as Lead Interaction Designer. Chris has extensive experience designing and directing a wide range of interactive media; from web sites and kiosks to mobile and desktop applications. With additional experience as a photographer and digital artist, Chris applies an artistic vision to typography, composition and color. Chris studied graphic design at the School of Communication Arts in Minneapolis, MN.
Norman Lau
Experience Designer
Norman believes good design can help facilitate experiences that illuminate and enhance our relationships with our environments and with each other. He strives to bring this quality to the studio's projects through interaction design methods such as wireframing, information architecture, and prototyping. He also brings a practical perspective to his work, drawing from his background as a software developer to understand how to push designs to realization. Norman received his BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Alberta in Canada and a masters in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jinu Yang
Interaction Designer
With design expertise in infographics, typography, and user-interface design, Jinu practices a design-philosophy that is both thought-provoking and timeless. At the studio, he creates visual solutions for interactive experiences, with an eye for detail, flexibility, and accessibility. Previously, Jinu was a graphic designer in NY where he developed user interface design, corporate identity, and digital marketing initiatives. He earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a BFA in Visual Communication Design from Sangmyung University in Korea.
Marc Lehman
Junior Interactive Designer
With a strong interest in interaction and motion design, Marc assists project teams throughout the design process. He transitions static designs into animated studies, facilitating concept review and design solution testing. He also supports the visual design team in creating comps and producing artwork and illustrations. Marc has a broad background in motion graphics and web design; he has completed several internships and graduated magna cum laude from Ore
