Midnight Snack 011: Experimental web
Glitch design, black holes and the poetics of prompting
As the seasons blur and we transition from light mode to dark mode, we’re embracing opportunities for new chapters and expanding our world. Introducing Code Standard, a sister studio to Midnight working alongside e-commerce companies and business teams to solve challenges through custom code. We will specialise in creating thoughtful, high-value b2b technology. From internal tools and custom apps, to code integrating systems; the behind the scenes tech which can revolutionise a business.
So now you’ve met our serious side, it’s time to catch you up on what we’ve been up to at Midnight. Our Co-founder Jonathan has been busy… sharing his Midnight Thoughts on generative design last week. And creating the Midnight Playground site as a space to showcase our creative experiments. Highlighting the importance of an experimental web where we can create, learn and play together…
Process is often more important than the finished product - as we explored through the Generative web. At Midnight, we imagine the experimental web as not just a space for testing, but an approach to creating. Where the end goal is not the only outcome. And the many stepping stones that emerge along the way are celebrated just as much (if not more) as the final destination. Each one becoming a site of experience and learning in itself. Moving through the experimental web means to meander in a way that adapts to each person and project, rather than a straight line from A to B.
Big Tech has endeavoured to flatten the web and make it seamless, streamlined towards addictive behaviours. Resulting in a “barren world, left without any possibility for creativity and experimentation” (Kim Lê Boutin, Glitch Design). The experimental web is about making room to play, for trial and error, and embracing the glitch - as coined by Legacy Russell, author of Glitch Feminism.
At its core, experimentation is about testing what works and what doesn’t, but it’s also about nurturing creativity and instigating evolution. Learning new skills and having fun while doing it. So can learning by doing be refocused to learning by playing?
For Midnight, experimentation is integral to how we operate and stay up to date. We’re always making sure to test emerging technologies and refresh our skills. So if you have a wild idea you’d love to bring to life but not sure how, give us a shout!
What’s been on our Midnight Minds:
The poetics of prompting exhibition unfolds new languages arising from human and machine collaborations
Join this coding class if you want to try learning HTML, CSS and Javascript
Code Switch is an exhibition exploring and redefining the history of Black data
We love checking out Dae In Chung’s experiments archive
Stripe.dev can help you learn how to create web apps involving payments
One of our talented developers Nic loves the second experiment featured here
Remember that technological experimentation can also happen outside of the web
Meet Midnight 🌝
A lot of what devs do feels behind closed doors, but devs don’t belong in the dark, even at Midnight. So we thought we’d shine a light on the people behind the work. Meet one of our Co-Founders, Jonathan ✨
What made you want to learn to code?
I loved that it was a tool for creativity and problem solving. It allows for more than a flat design as you can add a layer of movement and interactivity. You can create something that tells stories in an engaging way, or is surprising to the viewer.
What sparked you and Shaun to start Midnight?
We were running a software company and ran out of both money and enthusiasm! We both missed agency projects and being able to work with other creatives on ideas, so decided to launch our own studio.
How important is experimentation to you?
Web development is all about experimenting. Particularly when you're learning. You have an idea of what you want to achieve, and you try to figure out the best way to get there. The most elegant way, the most future proof way. Or with animations and interactivity, you experiment through trial and error until you get the movements to balance.
If you could experiment with any new technology or tool, what would it be?
I've been having fun experimenting with WebGL and using AI to write the code. Explaining an idea to AI chat of what I want the code to do, then tweaking the prompt until it gets to something interesting. With AI it's always a surprise the creative direction it takes, and that can lead to outcomes you didn't imagine.
Most importantly, what's your favourite midnight snack?
Cereal 🥣
Midnight Projects 🌐
The initial experiments created for the Midnight Playground ended up forming the visuals for our recent project with Cohesive Group. The project ended up being shown at this event. Showing how experiments can evolve from tests and creations within the web, to physical experiences. The installation was designed to highlight their innovative data solutions. Using Three.js, we simulated how Cohesive Group's technologies refine, transform, and digest valuable insights from large datasets 🧬
We recently collaborated with The Black Hole Experience on their mobile immersive experience inspired by the physics and spiritual properties of black holes 🕳️ Another demonstration of designing for the journey from digital to physical, as the installation travelled across North America over the summer. For the project’s website, we experimented with emulating the ideas of warped and suspended transitions often associated with black holes. To translate this, we played with a vortex-like scroll-triggered PNG animation and utilised Three.js to set up the floating star-scape 💫
Are you looking for a tech partner to develop your next design project? Send us an email 💌
Thank you, until our next Snack…
Midnight 🌙
Words by Kes Inkersole