The Art of Wonder

Experience Design, the enterprise of creating immersive worlds around people seems to be the biggest star in today's marketing firmament. No other medium is more promising in connecting people to stories, places and ideas. What is the story behind this movement? How did it evolve and what is the best way of navigating in this sector? In this revealing book, two pioneers reconstruct the past 25 years, showing how constructed experience
came to be central in our lives. They arrive at an original conclusion: immersive experience design is not just the latest new media extension. It is related to our way of being, of finding our way in life. When used in the right way, it serves as an instrument for massive, multi agent change.

The Art of Wonder not only gives a thorough analysis of the psychological
foundations of Experience Design and its rise into cultural and commercial realms, it also provides practical tips for how to build engaging worlds for your audiences. Larded with the light hearted history of their own XD-firm, one gets more than a feel for this way of work.
From museums to theme parks and from A-brands to governments, Experience Design (XD) is paramount in today's creative industry. Imagination is becoming the ultimate canvas for connecting people to brands, stories, and places. It will be of interest to all students and professionals active in experience design, including their bosses and clients. Since the book contains a first person account of discovering what XD is, it will function as a companion for designers and senior managers alike, since a growing segment of todays' bigger organizations launches experiential marketing initiatives, posing new questions to their Marketing & Communication departments.

Erik Bär (1969) and Stan Boshouwers (1968) studied Cognitive Artificial Intelligence at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. In 1991, they founded Tinker imagineers, now one of the leading experience design agencies in Europe.