A 3D render of a cartoonish plane shaped like a person, laid across a New York City street. The plane is decorated in green and blue with peace signs and daisies, featuring a large face at the tail.

Clutch of great creatives imagine what commercial drones might look like in interesting new project

Words: Rob Alderson
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Date: 15 February 2013; Work
Art

In September 2015, 956 days to be precise, new laws will pave the way for widespread use of commercial drones in the USA. Fascinated by the potential changes this could have on American cities, Rajeev Basu has invited a group of creatives – including many of our absolute favourites like Kyle Platts, Craig & Karl, Supermundane, Ian Stevenson, Antonia Ladrillo and Saiman Chow – to imagine what some of these drones might look like.

From a Coca Cola sponsored machine to a John Lennon peace memorial that circles the block where he was shot it’s an interesting, fun project with some serious ideas about public spaces at its core.

A colourful, patterned drone flies over a city street. In the background, a group of children in blue school uniforms walk across a crossing. — Above
Antonio Ladrillo: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a bright blue aeroplane with white cloud patterns, resting across a zebra crossing in a busy city. People walk past the aircraft on a New York street, with a sign for “Madison Ave” visible in the background. — Above
eBoy: Drones of New York

Above

Ian Stevenson: Drones of New York

Above

Saiman Chow: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a military drone flying over a city. The aircraft is covered in a black and white pattern with the word “FAKE” printed across the wings. — Above
Saiman Chow: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a red and white propeller plane, designed to look like an Ajinomoto MSG packet. The fuselage and wings feature bold white graphics and the letters “MSG”. — Above
Saiman Chow: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a colourful, stylised jet flying between city skyscrapers. The aircraft is decorated in red, purple and blue patterns, with a shark's mouth painted on the nose. — Above
Adhemas Batista: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a brightly coloured, patterned plane flying low over a city street. The wings are decorated with bold stripes and the words “SOME THING” in large, blocky letters. — Above
Supermundane: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a colourful drone flying low over a road. The drone is decorated with a vibrant, psychedelic illustration of a tiger’s face. In the background, a police car with “Police” written on the bonnet follows behind. — Above
Simon Thompson: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a sleek, futuristic aircraft with a black and white zebra-stripe pattern. It is positioned in a city street in front of a “Spring Street Subway Station” entrance. — Above
Robin van Wijk: Drones of New York

A 3D render of a camouflage-patterned military drone flying low through a canopy of green trees. The aircraft is decorated with several simple, smiling face illustrations. — Above
Antonio Ladrillo: Drones of New York

A large, colourful sculpture with bold patterns and shapes is installed over the entrance of a grey building. Below the installation, a person stands by a food cart under blue and yellow umbrellas. — Above
Craig & Karl: Drones of New York

Further Info

www.dronesofnewyork.com

About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

Clutch of great creatives imagine what commercial drones might look like in interesting new project

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