Blue Telescope, a media and design studio that creates interactive and narrative experiences, considers what makes airport media effective, following its recent project at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. Airport media generates millions of impressions, building visibility, and sparking connections.
“Travelers don’t come to airports expecting an exhibit, and that’s exactly why media there can be so powerful,” says the firm. “Serendipity is a short runway to the surprise and delight we all want to create for visitors. And in this unique instance, you have the opportunity to capture the eyes, minds, and hearts of a diverse, global population who you might not have otherwise been able to reach.”
At the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, Blue Telescope collaborated with the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives to create a media experience that showcases their mission to 2.6 million people annually.
For institutions seeking to expand their reach, this type of presence fosters visibility and buy-in that extends beyond the terminal. The unexpected excitement of interactive experiences makes this visibility stick, turning a fleeting moment into something memorable and worth sharing.
A valuable service
Interactive media in airports can serve as a valuable service, offering relief, distraction, or a boost of energy when travellers need it most. These moments position the institution as thoughtful, generous, and actively present in people’s lives.
At Miami International Airport, Blue Telescope partnered with the Miami Children’s Museum to create Plane Fun. This selfie station offers a fun outlet for play during what may be a hectic and stressful travel day.
Kids choose from different animated backdrops featuring iconic Miami sights and layer in colourful stickers to create custom souvenir postcards. A quick QR scan saves the image and keeps the museum in the conversation long after the trip.
“It’s the kind of well-considered service that turns passing travelers–and grateful parents–into future visitors,” says Blue Telescope.
Navigating airport security protocols and passenger volume adds another layer of complexity to any project, which is why designing media for airports requires technical precision and the ability to build software that runs reliably at high volumes.
“Media firms must balance this technical prowess with creative ingenuity, developing pieces that provide a satisfying experience for varying dwell times and demand–and hold–attention amidst the bustle of a busy terminal.
“For the Frederick Douglass Legacy Exhibit at the Greater Rochester International Airport, we enhanced historic daguerreotypes of Douglass using subtle motion animation to both reaffirm his relevance in today’s world and draw travel-weary eyes to the exhibit. The result is content that’s as dependable as it is moving.
“As frequent travelers, we’re fans of a lot of the media and exhibits we see en route to our gates. Some favorites are SFO’s exhibition program, where rotating displays transform walkways into museum-quality experiences, and the large-scale media at Orlando International Airport, where animated walls shift the entire mood of the terminal.”
Elevating the mission
Blue Telescope’s expertise with all things airborne includes intergalactic adventures, too.
“All of these projects fall under a greater umbrella of wonder–at the ingenuity it takes to become airborne, the delight of travel, and the vision to imagine the future of aviation from earth far past the stratosphere,” adds the firm.
As part of the Delta Flight Museum’s major exhibitions refresh, Blue Telescope created a cinematic pre-show experience that combines motion graphics, archival footage, and custom animation with 270° visuals and bespoke musical scoring to evoke the idea that the Delta Flight Museum is where innovation takes flight.
At Kennedy Space Center, the company’s gesture-activated Robotic Space Explorers Wall brings the ingenuity, uniqueness, and hidden delights of satellites down to earth. Visitors can launch satellites from kiosks onto the wall and watch as their trajectory unlocks mission facts and triggers unexpected animations.
Meanwhile, Blue Telescope’s media at the National Air and Space Museum shows how aviation innovations reshaped the world. For the museum’s reimagined World War I Gallery, the team created a custom linear timeline that tracks the evolution of aviation’s impact on the battlefield. Custom animation illuminates these firsts, communicating and contextualising their rapid evolution during this time of global crisis.
“The right media in the right place can extend your reach, elevate your mission, and connect you with audiences in memorable, meaningful ways. Blue Telescope designs these experiences with a deep understanding of what airport projects require. We technically and creatively meet the moment–and the location–so your story resonates long after takeoff.”
Recently, Blue Telescope unveiled a brand refresh.
