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Brett S. Traylor Creative Direction & Design

Instinet Fintech at Fifty

Brett led this project during his 17-year tenure as Thinkso’s founder and executive creative director.

To celebrate Instinet’s 50th anniversary, we created a beautifully detailed, premium case-bound book that lays out its history in the form of an ambitious graphic novel. Together with our client, we reimagined the story, bringing to life the visionary characters that shaped the company’s rich narrative and landmark achievements.

A full view of the cover of the Instinet Fintech at Fifty graphc novel with partial views of some interior pages around it.

This was a project that just wouldn’t have happened without a brave, creatively curious client. Referring to the book, I remember the CMO saying, ​‘If you want to tell a compelling story of innovation, you better do it in an innovative way.’

Brett Traylor, Executive Creative Director, Bst.

James Otis Smith, one of the illustrators for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel. conferring with the other artists.
A close up an artists hands over in progress drawings for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
Close up of an illustrator taking notes on draft pages of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
Owen Brozman, one of the illustrators for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel. conferring with the other artists.
Close up of Takahiro Kurashima, an illustrator for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel, and his Japanese interpreter.
Two hands move a filter over a page of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel to view the special animated illustrations.

The New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo based artists gathered in New York City for a day of immersion in the project and each other’s work—along with the client and our designers, writers, and project managers. Takahiro Kurashima and his interpreter met with each artist to discuss ideas for integrating his animated elements into their panels.

The front cover and case cover for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
Close up of the 3D red metallic Instinet brand chevron symbols on the Fintech at Fifty graphic novel linen box case.
The inside of the front cover of the custom box for Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
A detail from the red and black illustrated endpapers of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
"Fintech at Fifty" printed on the spine of the linen covered custom case for Instinet's 50th anniversary graphic novel.

Housed in a custom clamshell box that is wrapped in silvery fabric and adorned with a jewel-like dimensional chevron symbol, Fintech at Fifty: The rise of Instinet as a transformational force, tells the story of Instinet’s pioneering role in electronic trading. The case bound book features an original Takahiro Kurashima image, edge-to-edge, across the front cover.

A spread of pages with scenes from the nineteen eighties chapter of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
A spread of pages with scenes from the nineteen nineties chapter of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
A spread of pages with scenes from the two thousands chapter of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
A spread of pages with scenes from the two thousand tens chapter of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.
Ins 50Th Graphic Novel 17C

The book is divided into five chapters, each drawn by a different artist, that represent one of five decades of the company’s history. Each chapter opens with a timeline that, along with its illustrated pages, highlights the decade’s turning points for Instinet, the financial markets, and the world.
 

The 70s, was drawn by Nick Bertozzi from Queens, NY
The 80s was drawn by Owen Brozman from Brooklyn, NY
The 90s was drawn by Josh Neufeld from Brooklyn, NY
The 2000s was drawn by James Otis Smith from Brooklyn, NY
The 2010s was drawn by Chris Koehler from San Francisco, CA

An animated illustration from Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel showing mainframe computer reels in motion.
An animated illustration from Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel showing fireworks exploding over London.
An animated illustration from Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel showing rotating concentric circles of dots.
An animated illustration from Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel showing shock waves emanating from a pressed button.

Working directly with each chapter artist as well as with our designers, Takahiro Kurashima wove his animated artwork throughout the book in a way that not only delivers on Instinet's brand messages but also invites the reader to experience key historical events. His unique animations added emphasis and kineticism to the storytelling—from the intensity of a protesting crowd to the spinning reels on a 70’s era supercomputer and the ripple effect of the Flash Crash. His illustrations are activated by sliding a special acetate lens horizontally across the image.

A rear view of a person opening the pages of a 7 foot tall version of Instinet's Fintech at Fifty graphic novel.

The content and structure of the book was adapted to an all-day conference at the New-York Historical Society, as well as a gala celebration later the same evening at the American Museum of Natural History.

Digital Graphic Novel 1980S
Digital Graphic Novel 2010S

More than just a recreation of the printed book, the digital version of Fintech at Fifty reimagines and reflows the story as a user-driven, interactive journey, allowing viewers to experience the information and artwork in new ways on a dedicated microsite.