Microsoft, with The Atlantic
Visualizing the power of the cloud
An immersive 3D cityscape showing how Microsoft’s cloud connects the systems that run a city.
The Prompt
A city, powered by the cloud
Microsoft wanted to showcase how their cloud technologies could integrate and improve critical infrastructure and services within cities. To bring this vision to life, they tapped The Atlantic and Triptych to craft an interactive world.
We conceived an immersive, 3D digital cityscape that users could explore, visually demonstrating how Microsoft's cloud solutions connect and enhance law enforcement, healthcare, education, transportation, and utilities.
To showcase scalability, we built two 3D cities, a large metro like Manhattan and a mid-size city like Austin. Two digital landscapes let us demonstrate cloud tech powering systems across a range of city scales and needs.
Two cities, one connected cloud.
The Interface
Crafting an intuitive user experience
The 3D city environments provided the immersive backdrop, but the UI would guide the user journey. We designed a seamless interface to make exploring the connected cities intuitive.
Clean, minimalist iconography represented each district and system, unifying the experience visually. The icons adapted for both desktop and mobile, keeping key functions accessible as users dove into different sections of the city.
To demonstrate integration, we animated the city coming alive: a helicopter taking off from a hospital, a school receiving notifications, a metro train arriving on time, law enforcement being alerted to a crime, and city officials gathering citizen input. The motion let users see cloud technologies connecting urban operations in real time.
The Conclusion
Bringing an urban future to life
Through an ambitious collaboration, Triptych, The Atlantic, and Microsoft delivered a vision of smart, connected cities. Our interactive 3D cityscapes immersed users in an urban environment enhanced by Microsoft's integrated cloud technologies.
We crafted an expansive world and a guided experience that, coupled with The Atlantic's compelling content, let Microsoft demonstrate the potential of their cloud solutions to power the systems that will shape tomorrow's cities.
