Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without…

This Christmas, SapientNitro is sending friends a bespoke, 3D-printed Christmas decoration modeled on their unique social networks.

 

At a time of year when friendships and family are so important, the info-sculptures act as a reminder of the power of technology to keep people in touch with those that matter most, regardless of the far-flung location or time zone they happen to be in.

 

The innovative idea uses 3D-printing technology, combined with a nifty data-visualisation algorithm and a touch of elf magic, to transform the data into a delicate decoration in the shape of a glittering Christmas star.  Each of the points, and their respective lengths, indicate how many Facebook friends someone has in different places around the world.

 

And while the gift has a suitably seasonal emotional thought and cutting-edge technology at its core, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. From its absurdly wordy title to the cutesy, retro-inspired forest animals used throughout the packaging design, the ‘SapientNitro Social Media Engineered Christmas Bauble of FriendshipTM’ is a triumphant coming together of craft and kitsch.

 

The SapientNitro Social Media Engineered Christmas Bauble of FriendshipTM arrives in knowingly over-the-top Christmas packaging. Inside, along with the star, is a fold out infographic ‘map’ on which recipients can place their star to see how their galaxy of friends has been mapped out.

 

Malcolm Poynton, Chief Creative Officer at SapientNitro, says: “Christmas is a time for thinking about friends and loved ones, for giving and receiving, overindulging in luridly coloured paper hats, corny jokes and the latest electronic gadgets available. SapientNitro has taken all that and given it a good shake to end up with a unique gift for each of our friends – a beautifully engineered 3D data visualization depicting individuals’ social connections in the form of a sparkling Christmas tree decoration. All you have to do is add the tree.”

 

Credits

 

Malcolm Poynton – Chief Creative Officer

Ben Callis – Creative Director

Justin Barnes – Creative Director

Nick Bradley – Art Director

Adam Brewster – Manager, Design

Stephen Vaughan – Senior Designer

Ros Horner – Senior Designer

Dan Beattie – Associate Director, Creative Technology

Dan Bale – Front End Developer

Peter Arato – Back End Developer

Mark Caswell-Daniels – Back End Developer

Sally Skinner – Copywriter

Kiley Leong – Project Manager

Omaid Hiwaizi – Planning Director

Dan Eagles – Vendor Procurement