Studio

Counter Blank is a spatial design technology practice based in New York. Our work is rooted in the unlikely convergence of architectural design and software engineering - two dichotomous fields that cannot be more different, to enable our digital content and physical world to speak to each other; a conversation that has been sorely lacking — until now. We embody holistic attitudes in inquiry, exploration, and collaboration, to pioneer radical solutions grounded in the entanglement of space and digital content. We are open and impartial with our approach, which allows us to tailor specific solutions to every project.

A Lamentation of Junkspace

For much of time since the advent of immersive interfaces, we have seen clunky hardware and software being developed with poor interaction models for XR/AR/VR/MR. The user experience has never truly been the centerpiece of this profound development, and instead, the user has been held hostage to a showcase of avant-garde techniques in physics and shader sandboxes, or cartoonish avatar mannequins in disorienting windows and virtual game spaces. We have ignored the most crucial principle about designing for spatial computing: the ergonomics of the human body and perceived realities of our vision in relationship to our spaces. Referencing Rem Koolhaas from the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), AR/VR/MR has become a form of Junkspace — an exploitation of invention that enables sprawling rapid, aimless expansion, where you can rarely perceive its limits in its infrastructure. Junkspace is disorienting, and homogenous without differentiation and earnesty, like an "an abandoned petri dish". Design dies in Junkspace, with no form, no end goal, and only proliferation.

Anchored in Place

Our built environment is the canvas we build digital experiences on, and we reject the notion that space and computing being built in isolation of each other. We believe that for digital content to be coherent and earnest, it has to be choreographed and anchored in our real-world, through the considerations of scale, light, movement, and materiality. Counter Blank stands for everything that Junkspace is not, and we seek to state, redefine, and lead the new era of creating thoughtful and well-crafted projects through spatial computing and architectural design. We prioritize outcomes and clarity, and we lead with value gained from creating user-centric products, spaces, and experiences.

Clients

Aesop
Apple
Frama
Knoll
Nike
Prince
Reebok
Swiss
Vitra
Vogue

Services

Advertising
Art Direction
Book Design
Campaigns
Editorials
Photography
Strategy
Templates
Type Design
UX Design