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Apple Carnegie Library: Flagship Store Launch

Challenge

We were approached by Apple to help launch their flagship Washington, DC, store, located in the city’s newly restored Carnegie Library building. Apple wanted to create an immersive experience for guests that would be in keeping with the library’s history as a free community space for learning, creativity, and discovery.

Solution

Drawing from Washington, DC’s rich creative community, we helped curate a series of pop-up performances for opening day, while also developing a storytelling curriculum that was taught as part of the store’s Today at Apple programming over its first month.

Art gallery which includes interior views and art. (architecture, building, travel, museum, city, no person, street, castle, outdoors, monument, square, sculpture, facade, statue, home, fountain, daylight, university, sky, people)

CURATING COMMUNITY VOICES

We worked carefully to identify a group of DC’s most diverse and talented spoken-word poets, a cappella groups, rappers, and authors to entertain guests in various spaces throughout the library. The store truly came alive with voices, stories, and songs from the local community.

Person speaks at the launch event. (street, urban, city, business, people, man, architecture, portrait, building, window, commerce, travel, downtown, telephone, outdoors, drag race, modern, election, daylight, administration)
The team at the opening. (Api -arnegi #,fashion, model, music, performance, woman, presentation, competition, stage, festival, concert, girl, public show, people, singer, fashionable, International, adult, exhibition, education, trendy)

DIGITAL LENDING LIBRARY

As a modern take on the lending library, we created a digital version of sorts, allowing visitors to borrow iPads that we loaded with a selection of our favorite multimedia stories for them to interact with and explore.

Students working on a project. (child, woman, family, togetherness, fun, adolescent, man, girl, love, sit, laughing, enjoyment, student, education, cute, people, young, relocate, leisure, casual)
A man stands next to a giant poster of politician. (Today at Apple Caregie LbraryStoryMakers Festival Othello Banaci Phctographer&Drecto,people, man, landscape, travel, outdoors, woman, festival, music, adult, love, building, business, city, performance, family, portrait, street, editorial, sculpture, religion)

STORYTELLING CURRICULUM

We also worked with Apple to develop a whole storytelling curriculum and series of local guest speakers to be part of the store’s Today at Apple programming—their public education programming that happens in the space’s central forum. The curriculum was taught in the store over the first month and kicked off with a presentation by FoST Founder and CEO Charles Melcher.

Person speaks at the launch event. (FoST Future of StoryTelling,business, internet, people, man, technology, education, paper, indoors, writing, creativity, isolated, contemporary, computer, achievement, display, screen, empty, television, spherical, facts)

AN OPENING TO REMEMBER

The store opening was wildly packed with customers, press, and even Apple CEO Tim Cook himself, who praised the event’s high energy.

The crowd cheers as the new iphone x is launched. (street, people, rally, group, woman, police, administration, crowd, education, man, festival, landscape, music, adult, school, flag, university, many, election, family)
The crowd at the opening. (Featured Sessions Design Lab: Fundamentals of Storytelling with Charles Melcher 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. futumofstoryeing Future Telling Sign up at apple.com/today,education, business, meeting, festival, league, man, film festival, election, competition, politician, people, soccer, candidate, woman, International, ceremony, Congress, convention, press conference, exhibition)
Can you spot Tim Cook in the crowd?
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