Microsoft had launched a suite of new products and programs, giving the brand a renewed cultural relevance and tangible utility for creators. To deepen its connection with creative communities, Mother New York / Mother Design developed One Million Square Feet of Culture (1MSQFT)—a program that invited cultural experts from diverse disciplines to curate immersive spaces dedicated to creators of their choosing. These activations appeared at major cultural events including Art Basel, Sundance, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Cannes, and New York Fashion Week.

As brand strategist, I helped shape the program’s identity around the idea of cataloguing culture, designing a flexible visual system rooted in numbers and indexing. Each curated space became a distinct exhibition or performance, expressed through brick-and-mortar design, digital hubs, video, social content, and printed collateral. The program quickly gained traction, with the New York Fashion Week activation alone reaching 16+ million people through press coverage, while strengthening Microsoft’s alliances with creative leaders and communities.

Highlights:

Brand strategy and identity for Microsoft’s creator-focused cultural program
Designed modular visual system spanning physical, digital, and social touchpoints
Activated at global cultural events: Art Basel, Sundance, Jazz Fest, Cannes, NYFW
New York Fashion Week coverage alone reached 16M+ people

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