# Potion Design

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**Potion Design** is a private interactive [design firm](/source/Design_firm) located in [New York City](/source/New_York_City).[1] It was founded in 2005 by Jared Schiffman and Phillip Tiongson, who had previously studied together at the [MIT Media Lab](/source/MIT_Media_Lab).[1] The firm's specialty is [interactive kiosks](/source/Interactive_kiosk), especially flat surfaces that respond to human input through a combination of light displays and overhead [video cameras](/source/Video_camera).[1]

Museums for which Potion Design has created installations include the [National World War I Museum](/source/National_World_War_I_Museum) in [Kansas City](/source/Kansas_City,_Missouri), the [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), the [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution)'s [National Building Museum](/source/National_Building_Museum) and [National Museum of American History](/source/National_Museum_of_American_History) in [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington,_D.C.), and the [Museum of Science and Industry](/source/Museum_of_Science_and_Industry_(Chicago)) in [Chicago](/source/Chicago).[1]

They have also created interactive installations at bars and restaurants such as [The St. Regis Hotel](/source/The_St._Regis_Hotel) and the Clo Wine Bar.[1]

## App development

Potion Design has done software development, mostly in the form of [iPad apps](/source/IPad_app). Their first major such project was the "Biblion" iPad app in 2011, for the [New York Public Library](/source/New_York_Public_Library), which presents an interface for viewing images, documents and text from the library's archives. [Alexis Madrigal](/source/Alexis_Madrigal), a senior editor for *[The Atlantic](/source/The_Atlantic)*, called Biblion "one of the slickest media consumption experiences that I've seen for the iPad."[2]

They have also designed iPad apps for [Josef Albers](/source/Josef_Albers)' 1963 book *Interaction of Color* (for [Yale University Press](/source/Yale_University_Press)),[3] and for the works of photographer [Richard Avedon](/source/Richard_Avedon) (for the Richard Avedon Foundation).[4]

## Awards and recognition

Potion Design has won a variety of design awards, including various [American Alliance of Museums](/source/American_Alliance_of_Museums) Muse Awards and *[Communication Arts](/source/Communication_Arts_(magazine))* interactive awards. They were also finalists for the [National Design Awards](/source/National_Design_Awards) in both 2009 and 2010.[5] In 2010, *[Fast Company](/source/Fast_Company_(magazine))* magazine listed Potion Design at #8 in their list of "most innovative design companies", lauding them for creating "interactive installations that get computing out of the box."[6]

## References

1. [Reinventing Interaction](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/fashion/29iht-design29.html?pagewanted=1), Alice Rawsthorn, *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, June 28, 2009

1. Madrigal, Alexis (2011-05-18). ["Did the New York Public Library Just Build the Magazine App of the Future?"](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/did-the-new-york-public-library-just-build-the-magazine-app-of-the-future/239107/). *[The Atlantic](/source/The_Atlantic)*

1. Stinson, Liz (August 7, 2013). ["A Masterpiece Book on Color Theory Is Now on the iPad"](https://www.wired.com/2013/08/josef-albers-classic-interaction-of-color-gets-a-21st-century-upgrade/). *Wired*

1. Steigrad, Alexandra (June 19, 2014). ["The Richard Avedon Foundation Introduces App"](http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/avedon-gets-a-digital-tribute-7745062). *Women's Wear Daily*

1. ["Potion Design Awards"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120908201709/http://www.potiondesign.com/about/#awards). *www.potiondesign.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.potiondesign.com/about/#awards) on September 8, 2012.

1. ["Most Innovative Companies - Design"](http://www.fastcompany.com/mic/2010/industry/most-innovative-design-companies). *Fast Company*. March 2010.

## External links

- [Potion Design homepage](http://www.potiondesign.com/)
- [Potion Design blog](http://www.potiondesign.com/blog/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Potion Design](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potion_Design) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potion_Design?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.