Creating the largest motion design festival

Nowadays, our society becomes more visually and technologically oriented. Interaction and communication between people and brands are predominantly digital and screen-based. That’s why motion is so important, it’s a fuse of design and technology that still has room for growth. Motion has the potential to enhance brands and digital experiences. DEMO festival aimed to put a spotlight on an underexposed yet increasingly important aspect of graphic design: motion. It offered this new art form a stage with access to a large audience where diverse designers could show their work, be inspired by others and build their network. The result was the largest design motion festival which took over all 80 screens at Amsterdam Central Station for 24 hours. The program changed every hour creating an ever-changing motion experience. 

Studio Dumbar advertised an open call to designers globally to submit their work. This resulted in 2,738 submissions. The team proceeded to analyse every entry based on its concept, technical innovation and whether the design-challenged the current parameters of the media. It took them five rounds (18 hours per round) to narrow down which motion designs would be shown. The final selection included 400 creations by 253 designers from 37 countries. Based on the chosen designs, eleven themes were created such as ‘Happy Hour’, ‘Better than Real’, ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Type Only’ which were shown throughout the day on all platforms, in the passages and the central hall. The themes were alternated with ‘takeovers’ during which the motion work of one designer is shown simultaneously across all 80 screens. 

The day of the exhibition, people showed up from around the world to be amazed and inspired by the various motion designs displayed. During the day, tours were held in addition to multiple free public lectures about all things design and motion. DEMO festival transformed Amsterdam’s main train station into one large moving work of art and inspired, intrigued and created a lasting experience for everyone. By showcasing thought-provoking and inspiring designs, this festival redefined out-of-home advertising by showing a new way of broadcasting information.