Inspired by Apple’s legendary Think Different campaign, which celebrated iconic figures who changed the world with their unique perspectives, we set out to explore these personalities through a new lens. Our project takes these iconic members of the human race-those who dared to think differently-and deconstructs their familiar faces in a way that distorts, fragments, and ultimately challenges recognition.
The idea here is to echo the way originality in our world is constantly reinterpreted. As our Instagram post suggests, in a world full of digital remixing, originality is a concept that is often elusive. We are constantly treading paths that others have already explored, and this project pays homage to the notion that thinking differently doesn’t mean creating from scratch-it can mean reworking, reinterpreting, and remixing what already exists.
We began by selecting well-known individuals from the campaign and breaking their portraits down into a series of grids-first a simple 3×3 grid, and then subdividing those sections into even smaller 3×3 grids. From there, we randomly rotated each of the smaller segments, then reassembled the entire portrait. The result is a visual experience that is both familiar and unsettling, where the viewer is faced with a figure they recognise, yet can’t quite identify. The portrait is not disfigured, but it is reimagined-fragmented in a way that reflects the complexity of human identity and innovation.
This project reflects our own journey through creative exploration. As we deconstruct and reconstruct these faces, we are also reflecting on the nature of invention, inspiration, and the influence of those who came before us. In the studio, we continue to write code, print ideas, and embrace this experimental approach to art, knowing that what we are building stands on the shoulders of giants.
By working with iconic figures in this way, we are embracing both the nostalgia of the past and the excitement of remixing it for the future. While the images may seem distorted, they also reveal something deeper about how identity, creativity, and originality can be reshaped.
Safe to say that this work somewhat unintentionally pays huge homage to my instagram peers:
@LauraMChen
@kensukekoike
@TraceLoops
@anthonywgerace
#RaymondQueneau (for his Hundred Thousand Billion Poems)
