3. WORKING ON THE DARK SIDE
“Aesthetic is secondary. We are happy to adapt our style if it makes the project better,” says Jugovic firmly. “There are a few things we want to achieve with every project, including creating an experience, something that evokes an emotional response, which doesn’t even have to be positive. We don’t want to do things that are pretty just for the sake of it. Everything should be there for a reason, should be a device which helps the narrative and engages you in the piece.”

This attitude lies beneath all of the work Hi-ReS! has produced over the years. But there is certainly a dark side that creeps into even the most delicate pieces. “There’s just something so beautiful about systems breaking down,” says Schmitt. “You are put in a situation where you need to find your own way, make up your own rules, and things get really exciting. Take live TV going wrong or traffic lights that stop working—it’s truly inspiring stuff."

Unsurprisingly, their work has also matured as the company has grown. As Jugovic confesses, “We used to be a bit too cryptic and possibly self-indulgent in some of our sites. Being engaging and creating an experience and being ‘pop’ at the same time is what we are interested in now.” They are also investigating entirely new means of creating interactive design. “We love the idea of getting direct feedback from your computer to a movement of your arm, the proximity of an object, the warmth of your hand, the sound of your voice, the shape of your face, and so on.”

Currently working on an installation, commissioned by agency Fallon, that uses face recognition to work “as a kind of insane mirror,” says Schmitt, Hi-ReS! is constantly looking beyond the browser for new kinds of challenges to keep innovation and interest levels high. This includes book projects, fine art installations, clothing, and corporate branding. “It keeps things fresh. We don’t follow a set way of working, just some good ideas we think are worth doing, regardless of how we get there,” says Jugovic. “It’s all about keeping a childlike fascination for the work you do. We constantly try to preserve as much of it as we can. And it’s best captured when you do things you have not done before.”

Given the variety of jobs they take on, even their more abstract artistic expressions can be fed back into the commercial environment. “We actually quite enjoy the position we are in,” concludes Schmitt. “We never wanted to be in a position where we had to resign ourselves to working on the dreaded ‘personal projects’ in order to make life working for blue-chip clients bearable. Ours may not be the easy way, but we find it infinitely rewarding.”
HI-RES! | www.hi-res.net