Cloudred
Cloudred Multimedia is an interactive design studio located in New York City. Co-founded by Cyril Tsiboulski and Allen Yee in 2004, the firm is known for developing interactive websites for notable national and local civic, philanthropic, and media and entertainment initiatives.
For its work, Cloudred has garnered two Webby Award nominations and one Honoree, and two AIGA awards. The firm was also a finalist in the SXSW (South by Southwest) Interactive Awards and the IxDA (Interaction Design Association) Awards.
Principals
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Cyril Tsiboulski moved to the U.S. when he was 18. He is an adjunct instructor in the Digital Communications & Media Program at the NYU School of Professional and Continuing Studies where he teaches interactive design. In addition, he held a faculty adjunct position at Parsons School of Design from 2005 – 2006. He received his MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons in 2004 and his BA in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1999.
Tsiboulski is co-collaborator with Illya Szilak of the melodramatic interactive novel, Queerskins. In his collaborative role, Tsiboulski developed the interactive website, which serves as the novel’s home. The website was a Webby Award 2013 Honoree in the category of “NetArt.”
A native of San Francisco, California, Allen Yee began his career as an architect after receiving his BA in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley in 1996. According to an AIGA Graphic Discussions interview, he became dissatisfied with his career and moved to landscape architecture. It was during the early 2000s that he became intrigued by online design. In order to make a clean break from architecture, he applied to Parsons School of Design and Technology and was accepted in 2002.
Yee received his MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons in 2004. He taught Design Technology at New School University from 2003 to 2005.
Notable projects
NYC Service
As partners at Cloudred, Tsiboulski and Yee have brought their interactive design philosophy and aesthetic to notable civic and philanthropic projects, including NYC Service, a citywide initiative overseen by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
New York State ranked last among all U.S. states, and New York City ranked 49th out of 51 Metropolitan Areas, with regard to volunteer service. The goal of the initiative, according to Mayor Bloomberg, was two-fold: to make New York City the “easiest place in the world to volunteer, and to set a new standard for how cities can tap the power of their people to tackle their most pressing problems.”
As part of the initiative, Cloudred developed the interactive website, nyc.gov/service, which launched April 20, 2009. After one year, over 231,000 people had visited the website, which featured over 1,000 volunteer opportunities. The power of the initiative became clear after Hurricane Sandy when the website became the place to marshal human resources needed to help businesses, organizations and nonprofits recover.
The website was a 2013 Webby Award Nominee for the "Government" category. Also in 2013, it received the AIGA (Re)Design Award; in 2009 the website was a Communication Arts Web Pick of the Week.
Cities of Service
The Cities of Service initiative, founded in 2009, is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 mayors from large and small cities from across the country. The coalition was built on the work started by Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Service initiative.
In 2010, Cloudred developed Cities of Service, a network of websites that help cities around the United States leverage citizen service to address local challenges. The Mayor of London, England, called on Cloudred to develop its Team London website using the Cities of Service platform.
The Cities of Service website project was a 2012 Webby Award Honoree in the "Government" category, a 2012 SXSW Interactive Award finalist, a 2012 IxDA Interaction Award finalist, and a 2010 AIGA Award winner in the category of Information design.
CollegeServe
Widener University Assistant Dean of Civic Engagement Elizabeth Housholder identified an unmet campus need: a better way to communicate volunteer opportunities to students. She approached Cloudred with her idea for an interactive website in 2012.
After six months of development, Widener’s CollegeServe website was launched. The online platform allows faculty to utilize it for service-learning courses while allowing students to create profiles where they can track their service hours. Community partners use it to post volunteer opportunities.
Since the initial launch, Cloudred began offering a white label “CollegeServe” platform tool to other universities and colleges around the country.
External links
- Cities of Service website
- Cloudred Multimedia website
- NYC Service annual report
- NYC Service website
- Widener University CollegeServe website