ING BANK
Before AI took over the headlines, it made a Rembrandt.
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ING Bank had been building its reputation as an innovator. So when it came to their art and culture sponsorship, we took that same future-facing mindset and applied it to one of the most traditional spaces imaginable: classical painting.
We made data the artist.
Every one of Rembrandt’s 346 known paintings was analyzed using high-resolution 3D scans and upscaled with deep learning algorithms to capture the finest details.
Facial recognition and machine learning were trained to understand Rembrandt’s unique style, from the shape of his noses to the way he painted light. That knowledge was then used to generate entirely new facial features in his style.
Once the 2D image was complete, we created a height map to simulate Rembrandt’s brushstrokes. The painting was brought to life using an advanced 3D printer that layered UV-based inks to recreate the texture and depth of oil on canvas.
On April 4, 2016, The Next Rembrandt was unveiled at an exhibition in Amsterdam, the city where Rembrandt lived and worked.
The experience was designed to show the intersection of art and algorithm, with the painting displayed alongside the data and code that made it possible.
A launch film invited the world to explore more on nextrembrandt.com, where visitors could dive deep into the process and discover how art history and technology came together.
A visual language to unite two centuries.
The art direction combined 17th-century typography and graphics with modern design principles. This helped create a distinct identity that connected Rembrandt’s world to ours and made a complex idea easier to grasp.
The Next Rembrandt sparked a global conversation, all the leading news channels and art and tech blogs were reporting about the fading boundaries between technology and humanity.
See Credits +
Awards
2nd Most-Awarded Digital Campaign: Gunn Report 2016
6th Most-Awarded Campaign Across All Media: Gunn Report 2016
Most-Awarded Digital Campaign of 2016: The Directory Big Won Ranking
8th Most-Awarded Campaign of 2016 Across All Categories: The Directory Big Won Ranking
Cannes Lions - Cyber: Grand Prix, Silver Lion, 4 Shortlists
Cannes Lions - Creative Data: Grand Prix, 2 Silver Lions, Bronze Lion, Shortlist
Cannes Lions - Innovation: Innovation Lion
Cannes Lions - Outdoor: 2 Gold Lions
Cannes Lions - Digital Craft: Gold Lion, 2 Bronze Lions, Shortlist
Cannes Lions - Direct: Silver Lions, 2 Shortlists
Cannes Lions - Promo & Activation: Silver Lion
Cannes Lions - Design: Silver Lion
Cannes Lions - Entertainment: Bronze Lion, Shortlist
D&AD - Digital Marketing: Yellow Pencil, Wood Pencil
D&AD - Digital Design: Graphite Pencil
D&AD - Direct: Graphite Pencil
D&AD - Graphic Design: Wood Pencil
One Show - Cross Platform: Gold, Silver
One Show - Print&Outdoor: Gold, Silver
One Show - Interactive: Silver, Bronze
One Show - Direct: Bronze, Merit
One Show - Design: Merit
One Show - Branded Entertainment: Merit
Eurobest - Digital Craft: Grand Prix, Gold
Eurobest - Outdoor: Gold, Silver
Eurobest - Creative Data: Gold, Shortlist
Eurobest - Innovation: Gold
Eurobest - Media: Gold
Eurobest - Promo & Activation: Silver
Eurobest - Film: Shortlist
LIA - Digital: Grand LIA, 3 Golds
LIA - Design: Gold
LIA - The New: Gold, Silver
LIA - Non-Traditional: Bronze
Epica - Digital: Grand Prix, Gold
Epica - Creative Technology: Gold
Epica - Online Campaigns: Gold
Epica - Websites: Silver
Epica - Online & Viral Films: Bronze
Clio - Event/Experiential: Gold
Clio - Out of Home: Bronze
Clio - Events: Bronze
Clio - Film: Shortlist
Clio - Brand Development: Shortlist
Andy Award - Reset/Innovation: Gold
Andy Award - Branded Content: Bronze
FWA: Site of the Day
Awwwards: Site of the Day
WPPED Cream - Digital: Crème de la Crème (Grand Prix)
WPPED Cream - Data Investment Management: Crème de la Crème (Grand Prix)
WPPED Cream - Outdoor: Winner
Luerzer's Archive: Issue 3/2016
ADCN: Grand Prix
ADCN - Digital & Social: Gold
ADCN - Next: Gold
ADCN - Promo, Activation & Direct: Silver
ADCN - Design: Product - Bronze
ADCN - Design: Digital - Bronze
ADCN - Film: Nomination
ADCN - PR: Nomination
ADCN - Media: Nomination
ADCN - Branded Content & Entertainment: Nomination
ADCN - Integrated: Nomination
World Summit Award: Culture & Tourism - Winner