Emerging Talent No. 20: Brennan Boblett
RIGHT: INTEL VIIV SITELET | CLIENT: INTEL
“Brennan Boblett is a hot young talent at AQKA [an interactive advertising agency] in New York City,” notes Hank Richardson, president of Portfolio Center, where Boblett trained. “He is doing some amazing stuff and has the respect of so many in the cloister of the private world of the interactive. He is simmering and moving to the forefront of that world.” The client roster in Boblett’s portfolio—including Target, Nike, Virgin America, Schick, Intel and Smirnoff—supports this assertion.
Boblett is a designer with a love of, and expertise in, technology. “From motion design to interactive websites, the interactive medium allows me to craft unique experiences that tell a story, no matter what device or screen it is intended for,” he says. “Technology plays a big part. Every couple years, the very tools we have to create immersive experiences are being redefined—and new ones are being developed. This trend is allowing us to discover and unlock new [means] to communicate ideas for clients in ways never before imagined.” With his interest in emerging media, Boblett would love to get into designing interfaces for handhelds and other entertainment devices like the DVR. “It would be a dream to work on something like that,” he admits, further demonstrating that this is one designer who’s ready for whatever comes next. “The greatest thing about our industry is being able to design across multiple mediums. Since we are problem solvers at heart, whatever form the problem comes in, I will be willing to take a shot at it. In addition to interactive design, I am very interested in interior design and furniture design. I would love to design an interactive exhibit within a retail space, gallery or museum.”
Whatever the platform, Boblett believes that good design not only grabs people’s attention, it educates and inspires. “I am very much intrigued how such greats as Edward Tufte make the complex look simple and bring order to chaos,” Boblett says. His personal motto—“Attract Inform Evoke”—sets the bar pretty high.
“Brennan has always been the best kind of ambitious, and ahead of his time,” Richardson continues. “He was bugging me to teach him about ‘new media,’ as it was called back then, before most of the world knew it existed. He is a young designer with a clear vision of where we are headed. He understands the role of technology not for technology’s sake, but technology for culture ... and honestly, I have to share that he is one of the nicest people you’ll ever wish to meet. He shares his spirit and knowledge with everyone, and that is a very special trait.”
www.brennanboblett.com