Marc Kremers is the Creative Director and founder of Future Corp, a London digital creative agency that has created sites for the likes of The xx, Cindy Sherman, Mario Testino, Damien Hirst, and Wallpaper. He’s developing a video curation platform called vvatch.tv that will allow you to easily make and watch streaming video channels.
Why did you orginally gravitate to digital design?
My dad was a bit of a yuppie and had a personal computer in 1981 for his hair salon’s bookkeeping. By my teens, our lounge was basically filled with computer equipment. He showed me the Internet for the first time via a 28k modem connection in 1994. For my high school final year exams, I did digital animations and they had to create new submission rules for the curriculum. I just wanted to project myself creatively to as many people as possible, the Internet was this incredible medium that allowed me to do that. Thinking back on it I totally romanticized the Internet, I still do.
What are the best-designed sites on the web right now?
Sites are so varied in definition and possibilities, it’s hard to pin that. YouTube is a site, but so is rafsimons.com. What I really appreciate on a site these days is kind of universal. I like sites that are linear. I’d rather scroll than click, just like I’d rather walk down a beautiful path than open a series of doors. Sites that load fast, but also feel responsive, that comes down to meaningful use of animation.
All that said, apps are to sites as photography was to painting the last century—all the functionality is now taken care of by platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, so we’re getting to see some really poetic and experimental site experiences these days. Check out hoverstat.es for that kind of thing.
What new sites are on your radar?
Are.na has been slow-burning for a while now but I think it’s growing into a really smart community of like-minded people who arre using it to recontextualize and share digital content. There’s a lot of undercover influencers on that and you can find some amazing things. Not every social network has to be a billion-user-juggernaut in order for it to be great.
lot2046.com is a new thing by Vadik Marmeladov which I find really intriguing. The concept, site and photography are all exceptionally executed. Everything Vadik does is a few years ahead of it’s time. I love the directness of his own site too.