AMERICAN EXPRESS X US OPEN: AIR TENNIS
The first sports game powered by air haptics.
At the 2017 US Open, American Express unveiled Air Tennis, a multi-sensory, 4D tennis gaming experience. It helped fans feel the fundamentals of the game in a totally untethered way. Combining the basics of tennis with gaming, fans were able to feel the heightened sensations of tennis, regardless of their skill levels. The game needed no controllers. The goal: keep the ball in play and go for the longest rally.
ROLE: Senior Art Director
RESPONSIBILITIES: Art Direction, Design
DELIVERY: Experiential, Interactive gaming
Recognition:
Clio Sports | Gold | Design | Event / Exhibit Design
Clio Sports | Silver | Innovation | Product Innovation
Clio Sports | Bronze | Digital / Mobile | Virtual / Augmented Reality
Clio Sports | Bronze | Events / Experiential
Clio Sports | Shortlist | Branded Entertainment & Content | Events / Experiential
Clio Sports | Shortlist | Branded Entertainment & Content | Games
Clio Sports | Shortlist | Digital / Mobile | Games
110 MM MEDIA IMPRESSIONS
AMERICAN EXPRESS US OPEN: TENNIS CITY
In 2019, the client decided it was time for a Fan Experience revolution. So instead of a hero tech experience, we came up with Tennis City:
A love letter from New York City to US Open Tennis.
The US Open is not just tennis. It’s tennis with the glitz, glam, grit and celebrity of New York City.
So we decided to remix tennis, the game fans know and love, with the culture of The Big Apple.
We fully transformed a 20,000 square foot space into an immersive themed-entertainment world with interactive games and immersive design. The experience combined the sights, sounds and play of tennis, with art, music and play of New York.
Surrounded in the visual world of high-rises patterned with netting and court lines, a sporty LED-lit Empire State centerpiece, a fully realized subway station and an outstretched High Line with greenery and benches amid a city of fun.
ROLE: Associate Creative Director
RESPONSIBILITIES: Concept Development, Art Direction, Design
DELIVERY: Experiential, Innovative technology, Content
BOROUGH BALL
A human Pong game using motion sensor technology on an LED gameboard, animated with original artwork of the boroughs from Brooklyn-based artist Faile.
TENNIS TAGS
A virtual street art experience in which fans “spray-painted” within original tennis and New York inspired murals, from NYC-based artist Askew One.
RaLLY REMIX
An audio sequencer used tennis balls triggers set along MTA subway-inspired lines to mix games sounds with musical styles of the city.
THE EXPRESS TRAIN
A subway car built with large screen windows that mimicked the feel of a journey through the city and time, stopping at seven of the US Open’s greatest historical moments.
ACROSS THE GROUNDS
Not only did we activate the Fan Experience, but we created auxiliary spaces across the grounds to provide more places for fans to interact with the brand.
