Microsoft: One Million Square Feet of Culture

Microsoft had a suite of new products and programs, which granted it a newfound cultural relevance and utility for creators and their work.

To build their connection with the creative community, Mother New York / Mother Design invited cultural experts from a variety of disciplines to curate a series of spaces, each dedicated to a creator of their choosing. The program was named One Million Square Feet of Culture (1MSQFT), and the spaces appeared at major cultural events including Art Basel, Sundance Film Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Cannes, and New York Fashion Week. Coverage for the latter reached over 16 million people through press for a single event alone, and ultimately the brand built real alliances, growing its halo gradually, solidly and within real communities.

For the program identity, we designed a system rooted in numbers and cataloguing, with each space catering to a distinct exhibition or performance. This system was deployed across the brick-and-mortar spaces, digital hubs, videos, social media content, and printed collateral.

Brand identity, activation, style guide, community building, partnerships, digital, experiential, social media, and brick-and-mortar at Mother New York / Mother Design in collaboration with Microsoft.

Strategy Direction: Marissa Shrum; Strategy: Gilian Rappaport; Art Direction: Josh Engmann; Copywriting: Thomas Kemeny; Production Direction: Heather Huestis; Production: Stephen Winkler; Experiential Production: Gabrielle Perrone

Creative collaborators: Solange Knowles, Saint Heron, Moses Sumney, Kelela, Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Terence Nance, New Orleans Airlift, Katey Red, Lucky Peach, IFP, Gesaffelstein, My Brightest Diamond, Confetti System, Pitchfork, Mac DeMarco