With the photo app market exploding, there’s no shortage of ways to capture, manipulate and share personal photos. Shuttersong, a new app conceived by William Agush and designed by CSA turns this tired marketplace on its head. Weaving a new technology with sharp design the result is a new mobile app experience, which seamlessly blends music or recorded sound with photos. CSA identified early on that creating and sharing a Shuttersong should be a "simple joy." William’s desire for global usability drove the design approach to a completely wordless interface. Eliminating words is not simply a matter of creating an icon set. The entire interface and user flows were designed to effortlessly lead users through the creation and sharing process while providing choices along the way. By eliminating words, the focus remains on the blending of images and sound. The intuitive, smart graphics highlight the functionality of the app, a celebration of smart design and technology. Shuttersong came to us with a patent-pending file format, but it was up to us to build a product around this technology. We collaborated with Shuttersong’s founder and implementation partners Find & Form to define the app’s features. CSA designed the user interface and crafted a brand identity that embodied the energy and joy the app brings.

There's nothing else out there like Shuttersong. With a completely new idea and method to taking photos/recording life, the app interface and design needed to communicate the "new-ness" of this experience. This is no easy feat within the heavily saturated photo app market. Shuttersong seamlessly integrates into an Apple eco-system, and works within the design/UI language users are already familiar with. "With the release of Apple’s iOS 7, trends in app design are towards flatter and simpler interfaces,” says Paul Pierson, CSA Partner and Design Director, “We’ve always valued simplicity at CSA, but also see that current trends are leading to an over-reliance on the written word. So for Shuttersong, we eliminated words all together.” By pursuing a wordless interface CSA crafted a design solution that resonates with a global audience. The intuitive, smart graphics highlight the functionality of the app, a celebration of smart design and technology. Looking ahead CSA sought to develop a lasting, compelling user experience results in an app that’s emotional, not technical. There needs to be an authenticity to Shuttersong and a simple way to enjoy it. We stayed away from "in the moment" ideas about hip and cool and sought to establish a brand that would have universal appeal. Everyone else has positioned their product as a novelty, but if it does that then it never had durability – we emphasized these photos are personalizing memories, not the photograph as an object. This differentiation shifts the conversation around design and apps.