Braunstein, who helped guide the NY Times’ expansion into immersive storytelling, is a senior creative hire for the acclaimed experience design studio.

NEW YORK (JUNE 27, 2019) ESI Design today announced it has hired Layne Braunstein, the co-founder and CCO of award-winning experiential design agency Fake Love, which was acquired by The New York Times in 2016, as the studio’s Senior Vice President, Creative.

The hiring of Braunstein, who led the 167-year-old newspaper’s expansion into immersive storytelling through the use of experiential and AR/VR global campaigns, continues a banner year for ESI Design. The experience design studio has received widespread critical acclaim for its design of the visitor experience and exhibits for the new Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened last month on Liberty Island. The studio’s projects for cultural institutions, stores, corporate headquarters, and office building lobbies include acclaimed designs for eBay, The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Comcast, PNC Bank, Beacon Capital Partners, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.

“Layne’s boundary-pushing work has proven that technology, when integrated with physical design in a smart, strategic, and creative way, has the power to create meaningful and emotional connections with people,” said Schlossberg. “His expertise, vision, and ideas will enable us to push the boundaries of experience design further and continue to transform places into unforgettable experiences for our clients.”

“Working closely with Ed, whom I consider an interactive pioneer, mentor and creative force has been a dream of mine. I am excited by the way ESI Design’s talented team of creatives consistently innovates for their clients. This is the perfect time for me to be joining ESI Design, and I can’t imagine any other place I would rather be,” said Braunstein.

Braunstein co-founded Fake Love in 2011 with the goal of reimagining advertising by creating “a new industry that merged creative, art, and technology.” Its innovative campaigns, which often combined live events with digital technology, quickly attracted the attention of major clients like Google, Hermès, Star Wars, Levi’s, Lexus, Cartier, Coca Cola, Samsung, and Nike. Under his leadership, Fake Love was named AdAge Small Agency of the Year NE, became part of the Inc. 5000, and won the Gold Clio for Experiential and seven Cannes Lions, including a Grand Prix. The agency’s consistently groundbreaking work paved the way to its acquisition in 2016 by The New York Times.

“I want to craft experiences where people can have an inspiringly beautiful interaction today, then return a decade later and feel something just as meaningful. An experience I hope to visit with my son to see how it evolves through his eyes. It’s memorable moments like these I can only create with ESI Design – thoughtful, permanent experiences that unfold over time,” concludes Braunstein.

Braunstein has spoken about innovation and design at major industry events including the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Collision, TEDx, Adobe 99u, and The Future of Storytelling Summit and his work has been featured in Wired, The New York Times, Communication Arts, Creators Project, Fast Company, Creativity, PSFK and Adweek.

About ESI Design

ESI Design transforms places into dynamic experiences that engage audiences, solve complex challenges, and deliver lasting results. From our roots reinventing the Brooklyn Children’s Museum into one of the country’s first interactive museums, ESI Design has defined the field of experience design for over forty years, fundamentally changing how people connect with brands, organizations, cultural institutions and, most importantly, each other. A collaborative, in-house team of designers, strategists, storytellers, technologists, artists, and problem-solvers work with you from day one, until it’s done. ESI Design seamlessly weaves the physical and digital worlds together to create immersive experiences with enduring impact. Recent clients include eBay, the Statue of Liberty Museum, The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Comcast, PNC Bank, Beacon Capital Partners, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate. For more information, connect with ESI Design: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube and Instagram. (www.esidesign.com)

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Jenny Chang, jenny@pkpr.com
Corey Nord, corey@pkpr.com
PKPR, 212.627.8098

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