Jake Barton

Why you should listen

Jake Barton is principal and founder of Local Projects, a New York-based design firm which specializes in media design. Since 2006, Barton and his team have been working on creating the media design for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum; they also worked to develop the algorithm used to place names around the 9/11 Memorial itself. Other clients include the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Frank Gehry-designed Eisenhower Presidential Memorial and Cleveland Museum of Art.

In 2013, Local Projects was named the National Design Award winner for Interaction Design, while in 2011 it was listed as the second most innovative design firm by Fast Company magazine. Meanwhile, The Atlantic writes of Barton, "At the crux of Barton's work is the idea of collaborative storytelling, which invites museum and memorial visitors to share their own experiences, observations, and memories through interactive technology, turning passive observers into active participants."

What others say

“Over the past decade, Local Projects has collected over 100,000 individuals' stories and memories, and shared them with millions more through innovative visual and interactive technology like interactive projection walls and pop-up recording booths.” — The Atlantic, May 2013