App Art with Franky Aguilar

Oakland’s Franky Aguilar is the artist behind the wildly popular mobile art apps CatWang, Snoopify, Ima Unicorn, and GifYogurt, to name a few. Inspired by street culture, candy colors, and Internet iconography like cats and pizza, Aguilar works with artists to create a user experience that is equally fun and creative.

For many of the apps, Aguilar or other artists create digital stickers that can be collaged onto existing photos, or used to make an original design, allowing users to remix art assets to create their own digital images that can easily be shared online.

KQED Art School took a field trip to Aguilar’s studio to learn more about the creation of his company, 99centbrains, and his apps, which are used by millions of people worldwide.

Play around with some of 99centbrains free apps, make something, and share your images on Twitter. Tag us @KQEDArtSchool and we’ll re-tweet your creations.

Learn more about Franky Aguilar and 99centbrains at 99centbrains.com.

For learners of all ages, use this video about Franky Aguilar and the following questions as a catalyst for discussion and creative activities.

If a user takes an artist’s designs and uses them to create something new, who is the author of the image? Is it a collaboration, an appropriation, or something else?
How does remixing visual art relate to remixing in other art contexts like music?

What kind of art app would you design? Describe the look, function, and flavor of your app idea, and who your audience would be.