So as a follow-up to the recent podcast this week, I wanted to delve into the world of visualization and find some of the best Instagram accounts to follow for this industry. As I am an architect, educator, and enthusiast I did reach out to our guest Alex Hogrefe and asked him for a few recommendations. From that point on it was a spiral of hours seeking out the best content I could come across in this field. It is an interesting mix of imagery that ranges from the surreal to way too real.
I have attempted to put together a range of accounts here that offer something for everyone. While most of the visualization accounts on Instagram that have huge followers and posts counts, I also went for some of the smaller accounts that were recommended by Alex. These accounts are for companies or individuals that are working in the field. I (along with Alex) believe they should be the ones that get the credit for their work before it ends up on a giant aggregator account. I did put a few of those on this list because they are almost inescapable, but also because they offer a lot so imagery with a great deal of variety. Maybe you will find another account through their feeds. In no particular order here are the accounts that I think you should follow for a fresh look at architectural visualization and computer visualizations.
Aesthetica Studio
This is a group of three that have a shop in Barcelona, Spain. They started up in just 2017 and state a mix of architecture, landscape, and photography backgrounds that influences their work. The images they produce have a certain quality to them that is somewhat surreal but grounded. They have had some pretty big hitters for clients. aesthetica.studio
Berga & Gonzalez Arquitectos
Another group in Barcelona, Spain. This company was founded in 2001 and seems like a medium-sized group. The company was founded by two architects which goes to support our points in the last episode about understanding architecture is an enhancement to creating these high-quality images. bergagonzalez.com
Bartosz Domiczek
Based in Poland, this work spans a wide range of “styles” and moods. The images can be mercurial and otherworldly in one set and then photorealistic and crisp in the next. Yet each mood is wonderful in its detail and ambiance for whatever the subject matter. bartosz-domiczek.com
Mir.
Based in Norway, this company was established by two young gentlemen over 20 years ago. In doing so, they have racked up a nice list of architectural firm clients. You may have very recently seen their work on the proposals for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. They seem to have a bit of fun with it if you look at their “about” page on their website; a group of inquisitive scientists. mir.no
Hayes Davidson
Another long time office here, established in 1989, they may have been around the block the longest. This group from central London has a vast library of work and many high profile clients. The work is mostly photorealistic in nature and is of high quality. The attention to detail in some of the work is astounding. hayesdavidson.com
WAX
A group of six artists in The Hague, Netherlands forms another company with some top name clients. The work is varying degrees of photorealistic while also managing some definite moods. There is a broad range of project types and scales of work represented here. I really wonder about the origin of their name. I like it and am curious how it came about. tobewaxed.com
Kirill Vil
Here we have an artist from Odessa, Ukraine. His style seems to be strongly photorealistic. It is also somewhat focused on interiors. The crispness of the images and their near photo quality make them a solid addition to this list. His work is vibrant and airy with a mostly cheery mood.
Play-Time
I mean they are just hatching visualization specialists in Spain! Here is another one here from Barcelona with a focus on light and textures. Most of the imagery is light and energetic with scenes that are full of life and the bustle of activity. Also, another company founded by architects. This group also seems like they enjoy themselves – they have fun while working on creating fantastic images. play-time.es
Recent Spaces
This small group out of London seems to have a toe in many aspects of the visualization industry. They provide the basic services of the industry but also work on film, animation, cinemagraphs, and fluid interactive images. This was a new one for me to see, but it allows you as the viewer to control some aspects of the visualization. It looks as though it is mostly the ability to control the lighting of a semi-static image. It is pretty cool. recentspaces.com
Aggregators:
I have chosen a few of the aggregators below. And while I am not a huge fan of these kinds of accounts as they almost always seem to leave off any credit for the actual creators, in this instance I felt it was ok for me to list a few. I am certain that there are plenty of others, but these are the ones that interested me the most. There are multiple accounts that have interior visualizations, but I am more interested in the exteriors and environments than interiors in most cases. So I opt for those in my own feed. But I still have one that is more interior focused in the mix.
Render Box
This is a big one. It posts a plethora of images in a wide array of styles, moods, and aesthetic styles. It tends to be more about exteriors, buildings, environments than the interior spaces.
Render_Contest
Another one here that posts a wide range of visualizations. This has an accompanying website but the content is here in the feed. Tons of nice images and varying styles and moods.
Render Community
This one is a bit more focused on the interior spaces. While it does hit the exterior every now and then, this account will give you lots of spaces to feast your eyes upon. So many elements in these images. The lighting effects in some of these make my head hurt when I think about making them.
Lastly, I also tried to find some universities with visualization or similar degrees to put their Instagram accounts in this post. Oddly enough, not many of them had dedicated Instagram accounts. That seems so very strange to me in an industry or area of study that is so visually driven. Even the ones I did find were no posting student work as much as I would hope. So I chose to leave that section out for now. Maybe with a bit more searching or some help from others, I can create a list of schools with Instagram accounts. If you know of any please send them to me so I can add them to my forthcoming list.
So go have a feast for your eyes with all of these accounts. Hopefully, you will be inspired by what you see and maybe even strive to get some of this type of imagery into your work. I will definitely be sharing these with my students.
Until next time,