In Design is Storytelling, by Ellen Lupton, she talks about the experience economy as our current economic order. It is defined by a shift towards the ephemeral and the emotional over the cut-and-dry that is the service economy.
Cars become driving. Food becomes dining. Education becomes learning.
—Ellen Lutpton
So what does a portfolio become when almost every designer has one? This got me thinking. How can I make my portfolio into an experience rather than just a display of my services, especially during in person interactions. I spent months mulling over ideas. I could load up on the JavaScript and make an emmersive web experience... but I wanted something more tangible. I thought about binding a book... but this felt overdone. Finally, it hit me. What if I used a View Master? This toy from my childhood brought back a flood of happy memories and once I thought about it I couldn't imagein doing anything else.
After some research it turned out that I could create custom View Master reels online using Image3D. Thus begun the conversion of my portfolio from a digital congolmerate of 1's and 0's to a physical token that can be touched and felt. To complete the experience I created a brochure to advertise the contents of my View Master. When people see the toy they break out into laughter and smiles, and for me that is all I could ask for as a designer. If you are intersted in the View Master Experience, feel free to reach out to me via email (hello[at]lukaschulz.com).