Squint/Opera, the creative studio, has officially joined US-based innovation and design agency, Journey. The newly launched firm has invited several leading creative companies across media, physical design, voice, gaming, and immersive to form a superpowered organisation, working to bridge physical and digital design, create the metaverse and design new immersive experiences.
Squint/Opera’s expertise complements Journey’s industry-leading capabilities in physical, spatial voice, gaming and metaverse design, resulting in a unique combination of talent focused on the creation of new 3D experiences. The addition of Squint/Opera will double Journey’s scale and adds studios in London, New York and Dubai.
A new chapter for Squint/Opera
In a statement, Squint/Opera says: “This next chapter in Squint’s story brings massive opportunity, with a wide and varied client base, new project typologies, and most importantly a deep ocean of cross-disciplinary talent and experts within the Journey group to collaborate with.
“Over the last few years, Squint has grown exponentially, as demand for our strategic insight and unparalleled creative execution has soared. As an organisation we are perfectly positioned to surf the new wave of Web3 digital transformation, bridging the worlds of digital media, spatial design, and entertainment. As the internet enters its three-dimensional incarnation, it needs a new generation of designers. We are that generation.
“It’s a tribute and testament to the creativity and talent shown over 20 years as an independent studio that we have been given this amazing opportunity, and we now have the chance to shine on an ever larger and spectacular global stage.
“We will continue to operate under the Squint brand, as a distinct but interlinked unit within the Journey family. Our management and team will stay exactly the same, and we look forward to partnering with you and helping to navigate and benefit from this wave of transformation which is coming.”
Meeting the demand for immersive experiences
Squint/Opera has worked on several notable immersive projects, including the Observatory at The Empire State Building in New York, the forthcoming Oman Across Ages Museum in Oman, the Bordeaux wine museum, and the V&A Videogames exhibition in London. Plus, it has created virtual worlds and digital experiences, working with leading architecture practices. This includes projects like Toyota Woven City with the Bjarke Ingels Group, and Hot Heart with Carlo Ratti Associati.
The company is a pioneer in the use of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to build expansive virtual twins of future cities and in the use of Virtual Production techniques to produce cinematic visions of locations and industries, such as Trojena. Squint/Opera is an innovator in the development of business-to-business and enterprise virtual environments, using a wide range of 3D design methodologies on real-world projects.
“The opportunity to join Journey was momentous,” says Julius Coke, CEO of Squint/Opera. “Over the last few years Squint has experienced significant growth, as the demand for immersive 3D experiences grows and new platforms and technologies enable a new level of creativity tapping into our storytelling, virtual production and creative media skills.
“Creating the next chapter in the 3D end customer journey requires integrated teams working across traditionally siloed disciplines,” adds Andy Zimmerman, CEO of Journey. “With the addition of Squint/Opera, Journey is the first agency to bring these diverse skills and talents together at a global scale, to engage with the world’s biggest brands and most ambitious projects.”
This summer, Squint/Opera worked on a new visitor experience for Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK.
