Though Kludge was an editorial outlet, Perez was already using it to help hone his B2B expertise. According to the outlet's Wikipedia page, Kludge had several partnerships with Virgin Megastores to promote and brand artists. Not only that, working with a staff of over 20 writers and editors gave Perez the experience needed to provide proper leadership to Kluge's staff.
Kludge ceased publication in 2006, but the name lives on through Kluge—in a sense.
3D: Design, Drive, Discussion
Kluge Interactive has carried the name well, engineering a bevy of digital branding exploits, perhaps most notably a 3D virtual reality city for the Silicon Beach Fest 2016. Kluge has been the creative director of the Fest for four years, and desire to do something new each year. Earlier this year, their Creative Director devised a project based on his Grandmother's painting, and their CTO designed an app for it. That was one of their first VR projects.
When it came time to plan for the Fest, Kluge analyzed the market and realized the 3D city is the route they wanted to go. Perez then rallied his team to work hard enough to submit the project to the App Store in time for the Fest.
Kluge Interactive works hard as a unit, but sees the value in working with everyone in the local design community. Perez hosts a series in L.A. called “Co-Evenings on the Loft.” Perez calls it a quarterly design salon, bringing together the best and brightest minds in the L.A. design community. Each event has a theme, which is tied into the food and cocktails served for the night.
It would be easy for Kluge's team to keep their wealth of information solely for each other, but Perez sees the benefit in shared discussion. Ideas are raised around philosophy, ethics and aesthetics, drones, wearables and virtual reality—among many other things. He values the mutual learning these sessions engender, and hopes to continue them in the foreseeable future.
What's next for Perez? Kluge is continuing their work with many clients, such as Telesign, who Perez views more as an artistic partner than the typical client. They're also debuting a Design LA Mobile App, which is devised to further unite designers in the L.A. area. He's also holding a “Co-Evenings” session at the Herman Miller Showroom in Culver City in November. Be there! More details about the event HERE
Photo credit by Justin Lai.
Silicon Beach Magazine/Page 33
Silicon Beach Magazine 33