The Architecture of Validation: Craftsmanship in a Commoditized Web

The digital world is becoming increasingly flattened. As we enter into an age of the internet which relies heavily upon the path of least resistance relying upon mass produced templates, predictable layouts, and fleeting interactions it's rare to find environments where digital craftsmanship is truly celebrated. Historically, artistic movements grew through patron support and curated exhibition spaces that distinguished great artistry from the clamor. The same ecosystem exists today; however, in a different format. We were recently reminded of this while being selected by Dribbble for an upcoming editorial feature. Dribbble goes beyond simply being a gallery or a place to show your work. Instead it's a creative marketplace where companies can hire web designers who have been vetted by their peers' portfolios. This difference from a passive feed to a validated marketplace is key to allowing for work that requires a lot of intention.

The Intent at the Intersection of Art and Digital Engineering. At the core of our philosophy is that browsers are more than document viewers. They are a spatial medium with the ability to create motion picture quality depth. When we work with pixel manipulation using WebGL, or create custom GLSL shaders, we are doing more than simply coding. We are engineering emotion. We are developing environments for users to experience a very real sense of presence. The type of obsession engineering required to achieve this requires the developers as well as the visionary client to have an understanding of the power of the medium.

The commodification of design sees digital experience as simply transactional; however, digital art is based on experience. The careful adjustment of a responsive three-dimensional canvas, the way light interacts with space within a 3D environment, the hidden math that allows for seamless interaction opposed to mechanical these are all examples of human desire to be precise. It requires time, effort, and an unwillingness to accept anything less than perfection.

Many times, when business owners want to create something that has relevance at an elementary level, they find themselves searching for a creative agency and being distracted by the "noise" created by the superficial. The reason this occurs so many times is because there exists a system of validating true craftsmanship (a "curated ecosystem"). This system provides reassurance to potential clients of these agencies that they will be working with agencies that have demonstrated a history of producing high-quality outcomes.

Furthermore, this system allows ambitious companies to connect with agencies that have the ability to transform complicated stories into physical spaces.

Therefore, the work produced by the agencies speaks louder than their pitches.

The future of human work in the digital world is dependent upon our collective capacity to identify and appreciate what is known as "true" presence. If we shift from a paradigm of endless, uncurated volume to one of validated curation, the industry will create an environment where digital artistry can flourish. The web does not need to remain a flat, transactional void. If we approach the web as a medium which we engineer through obsessive curation and validate through a community that appreciates the craftsmanship, then it will become a canvas for something significant.