Silver Website and Web Design · 2022
Middle of Nowhere 404 Website Design
by Yijia Xie
- A' Design Award 2022 Silver Winner in Website and Web Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: IBM Research
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 61,038
- Verification code C0E6DFE925 · Verify this award
About Middle of Nowhere 404 Website Design
Middle of Nowhere is a 404 error page created for a research organization website. A 404 page appears when a requested webpage does not exist, and this design turns that moment into a visit to imagined places. The landscapes shown are made by a generative adversarial network, a machine learning model trained on thousands of photographs of real landscapes from around the world. The results are places that exist nowhere. The page is built as a responsive website, and the intent is to make being lost online calm and engaging.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This 404-page design comes from the idea of "The middle of nowhere." "404" means that the webpage doesn't exist, so this project creates an environment that makes users feel lost around the internet data and enjoy the virtual landscapes. By training a machine learning model that combines thousands of images, Yijia creates unique and beautiful places that don't exist in the whole world or even in the universe. They are just the landscapes generated by Artificial Intelligence.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Responsive website construction
- Tags
- Machine Learning, Artificial intelligence, Website design, GAN
- Production Technology
- Generative adversarial network/Machine learning/UI Design
- Design Challenge
- It's difficult to collect all the appropriate databases and train the machine learning model. I tested many times and learned the new technology&knowledge during the model training to get unique and beautiful results.
- Project Duration
- 2021.11-2022.02 New York
- Operation Flow
- These images/videos of nonexistent landscapes were created using a generative adversarial network. It’s a type of machine learning model that can create novel content after being shown many original pieces of content. In this case, we showed our GAN thousands of images of landscapes from around the globe, and it generated these rather other-worldly images by combining aspects of everything it’s been shown.
- Research
- Our goal is to create an unprecedented 404 page connecting to IBM Research's brand identity and focus areas. I came up with different sketch directions, including typography&illustration style, and an interactive website. We finally decided on the concept of "Middle of nowhere" by using artificial intelligence technology. We hope to relay "Welcome to the future" to people through this 404 page.
- Inspiration
- As a top leader in the AI industry, IBM Research is relentlessly curious about all the ways that computing can change the world. Today's AI is narrow. Applying trained models to new challenges requires an immense amount of new data training and time. People need AI that combines different forms of knowledge, unpacks causal relationships, and learns new things on its own. This 404 page explores a new possibility combining machine learning and design practice to increase the brand awareness of IBM research.
- Image Credits
- IBM Research/Yijia Xie
Colors of Middle of Nowhere 404 Website Design
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Future-Forward Digital Design Solutions
We combine visual design expertise with cutting-edge AI and machine learning to create innovative digital experiences. Our work spans brand identity, web design, and creative coding, helping tech companies and startups bring unique ideas to life. Winner of the prestigious A' Design Award.
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