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500K.art
The largest hand-drawn piece of digital art on the planet!
Originally YouDraw – launched in 1999 to collect 500,000 drawings for a planned book. Initially the book was going to be printed in 12,000 copies to be displayed in an installation called “Human Factor” aimed at showing the size of the human population.
Resurrected as 500K.art; as one of the biggest collections of digital art on the planet.
The project is the brainchild of designers Louis Paschoud (Megasponge), Ally Cane and developer Peter Holberton (Hobo). In 1999 they created one of the first collaborative online drawing platforms, allowing users to draw directly on a website. They called it youdraw.com.
The project evolved when Louis and Peter discovered how much the community of contributors using the tool enjoyed sharing their work and interacting with each other. YouDraw gradually moved away from its original goal and became a place to draw and to interact with the online community of YouDrawers. The installation project faded; the book idea remains, but has yet to be realized.
500K is the brainchild of designers Louis Paschoud (Megasponge), Ally Cane and developer Peter Holberton (Hobo). In 1999 they created one of the first collaborative online drawing platforms, allowing users to draw directly on a website. They called it youdraw.com.
The project evolved when Louis and Peter discovered how much the community of contributors using the tool enjoyed sharing their work and interacting with each other. YouDraw gradually moved away from its original goal and became a place to draw and to interact with the online community of YouDrawers. The installation project faded; the book idea remains, but has yet to be realized.
All the artworks in the project created by a tool on YouDraw.com -The tool consisted of a “draw pad” or canvas that was 125 pixels wide and 250 pixels high. Contributors chose from two sizes of pens and two sizes of erasers. As the book was planned to be printed in black and white, no colors were added to the tool. It remained black and white… giving the project its unique look and feel.
I crafted a bold, textured logo that mirrors the hand-drawn nature of the artwork itself, emphasizing the raw creativity and ambition behind the largest hand-drawn digital art piece on the planet.
In addition to the branding, I designed an immersive website that allows visitors to explore the artwork in a dynamic digital space, to read the story of the 500K, offering an engaging platform that complements the physical scale of the project. My goal was to ensure that every touchpoint of 500K—from its logo to its web presence—conveys the monumental effort and artistry involved in creating such a record-breaking piece.
Now, after years in the vault, it’s finally ready to shine in all its hand-drawn glory. Sometimes, the best things in art just need a little time to age like fine wine… or digital pixels!
500K.art available to view here www.500k.art
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