COMPLEXLAND
2020 will always be the year the world turned upside down. It was beyond clear Complex would not be hosting ComplexCon in the fall, and we saw every day how our audience was reaching out to connect with each other at a difficult time. We also saw the impact that the global production chain was having on the style brands that were important to Complex and our audience. We knew we had to do something.
We connected with Jam3, a top flight digital agency, and they had similar ideas. We agreed that a digital version of ComplexCon would be great and allow the audience to share something together, but what would it be? When you can do anything at all, why recreate a convention center?
So together we built ComplexLand – a place where all of Complex culture has been filtered, remixed, and reformed into something new. A floating island of sorts with distinct neighborhoods populated by shops, artists, and brand partners, with monuments to Complex culture, customizable and upgradable avatars, digital roundtable talks and performances.
To promote ComplexLand as a destination visitable from anywhere, I created a series of ‘tourism’ videos inviting people to the various neighborhoods while also setting up the central conceit of ComplexLand. These were places like Sunset Lagoon (a beachy Miami-esque locale), Astral Market (modeled on Tokyo night markets), The Boro (NYC in a blender), and Hi-Bye (a mall in the LA desert surrounded by ruins).
The guide voice was fully computer-generated, and 3D elements are thanks to Jam3 creative and design leads Steffan Christensen, Mike Lamont and Charlotte Lucas, and Hunter Hanson for Complex.
ComplexLand was a great success and a breath of fresh air amidst the constant lockdowns and uncertainty. ComplexLand 2.0 and 3.0 landed in 2021 and 2022 respectively, with added upgrades and refinements with each iteration. Read what others had to say about it here:
Since ComplexLand was a fully digital experience, social presence was key to its success. I developed the visual language and system using a core ComplexLand mark and glyph set designed by Warren Cochrane. Hundreds of assets were made per event, running on Complex channels as well as brand partners. Below is just a small cross-section of posters, announcements, and elements that ran on social. Merch design by Nick Sultana.
2022 was the last year ComplexLand ran in its current iteration. It will return again in the future in an evolved form, though it is still a major accomplishment as one of the most effective and widely accessible metaverses that existed, and still the only one to do commerce well.