Report

“Bringing innovative design projects to mass production is a multi-step process that involves iterative exploration and trial and error. The Music Frame project is the culmination of positive energy and passionate collaboration across our design, development and CX teams since the summer of 2021.”
— Chulyong Cho, Head of Design Team, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics
 
 
Designing the Experiences of Tomorrow
Samsung Electronics is home to forward-looking departments seeking untapped opportunities. True to its name, the Visual Display Business’ Future Experience Design group actively develops concepts for user experiences that are missing in the market before turning those ideas into innovative products.
 
Launching a new product is no easy feat, however. There is a long journey ahead after proposing an initial concept — from designing for mass production and collaborating with other departments to enhancing marketability and perfecting the product’s technical aspects. Brought to fruition through unceasing passion and innovation, this is Music Frame and its design story.
 
* Content images have been simulated for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region and model.
 
 
Bringing Style to Spaces

 
 
Inspired by Your Lifestyle
Consumers are now opting to purchase products that seamlessly blend into their living spaces instead of ones that only offer functionality. To that end, Samsung has introduced a series of lifestyle TVs including The Serif, The Frame and The Sero. Since TVs are not in use most of the time, these products transition to Ambient or Art Mode to offer a tasteful design experience — rather than displaying a black screen.
 
Delivering audio in the form of a picture frame, Music Frame is an extension of this approach. Setting itself apart from conventional speakers designed mainly to amplify sound, Music Frame and its concept of lifestyle audio prioritize the user’s lifestyle and living space. Picture frames are a familiar furnishing that can be placed anywhere, reflecting each individual’s taste and personality based on the kind of art being displayed. Music Frame draws inspiration from ordinary picture frames, allowing users to listen to music as they appreciate their favorite pictures.
 
 
Breathing Life Into an Innovation
In collaboration with the development and CX teams, Samsung designers built and tested a working prototype that demonstrated high-quality sound. They received positive responses from users after extensive testing, which solidified their confidence in the product’s acoustic performance and overall concept. As a result, the initial design remained intact and went into mass production.
 
 
Bridging the Gap Between Decor and Audio

 
 
Sculpting Unseen Sound
Music Frame embodies audio, so Samsung couldn’t lose sight of how people enjoy listening to high-quality music. Given the product’s unique form factor compared to traditional, elongated soundbars, the designers worked closely with the sound development team to perfect acoustics from the get-go. Speakers commonly have fabric, grilles or other materials on the front to easily emit sound. Together with the sound development team, the designers found a way for Music Frame to amplify sound through a gap between the frame and panel — creating a design rarely seen in audio products. The result? A frame-shaped speaker that is not restricted by the material that covers the front side.
 
Due to the frame’s shape, the gap between the bezel and the panel was important since this portion produces high- and medium-pitched sounds. After countless tests to find the optimal sized gap, both in terms of design and sound quality, the team settled on a width of 9mm. The designers worked with developers to make sure the vibrations from the rear woofer speaker — responsible for the bass — would not create noise when the product is hung on a wall like a picture frame.
 

 
 
A Piece To Personalize Your Space
Just like a real frame, Music Frame allows users to swap the images inside for personal photos or works of art. Listening to music while looking at a framed photo of a precious memory or a piece of art adds new levels of depth to users’ experiences.
 
Samsung designers also considered users who might place the Music Frame on a table instead of hanging it on a wall. Meticulous refinements were made to the frame stand’s shape and angle to ensure it doesn’t look too prominent or cause reflections on the panel. Since the rear of the product is visible if placed on a table, the back was designed in a neat and minimal fashion.
 
 
Music Frame in Your Everyday

 
 
Your Life, in the Frame
If there’s a particular image users want to cherish, they can create their own art panel by uploading an image to a third-party website and placing an order.
 
Music Frame comes in a default black bezel, but users can purchase an additional white bezel to match their decor. They can fill their frames with stunning images to create a stylish space that is perfect for listening to music.
 
* Art panels are sold separately and customization availability may vary by region. White bezels are sold separately and will become available starting in the summer of 2024.
 

 
 
Fill Your Room With Rhythm
For more captivating TV viewing, users can utilize Q-Symphony for richer stereo sound by placing two Music Frames on either side of their TVs. For surround sound, users can place a soundbar in front of their TV and a Music Frame on the opposite wall to act as a rear speaker. With the SmartThings app, users can set the equalizer settings to their preferences. By fine-tuning the audio, users can enjoy more vibrant sound and immersive content.
 
* Q-Symphony using Music Frame is available only when connected to a 2024 Samsung TV (DU7000↑ & LS03D) or 2024 Samsung TV and 2024 Samsung Soundbar (Q700D↑, Ultra Slim, S-Series).
 

 
Looking forward to a future of new possibilities, Samsung designers will continue to develop products and designs that naturally blend into users’ lifestyles and living spaces.
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Shinique Smith is a New York-based artist widely recognized for her monumental fabric sculptures and abstract paintings infused with calligraphy and collages. In her art, she uses recycled objects or memories to showcase the power of personal possessions — believing that humans collect meaningful keepsakes in search of their own paradise. Her work has become renowned in the past two decades for conveying inspiring messages of personal expression, energy, history and identity. Now, Smith’s globally acclaimed artwork comes to life with The Frame’s cutting-edge technology.
 
Samsung Newsroom sat down with Smith to discuss her artistic journey and the inspiration behind some of her work.
 
▲ Shinique Smith poses in front of one of her works
 
 
From Early Creative Exposure to a Varied and Flourishing Career
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and your career as an artist. How did your early exposure to the art world influence your career?
 
I was born, raised and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. My mother made certain that creativity was integral to my upbringing. What began as arts and crafts in my early childhood inspired me to attend the Baltimore School for the Arts, where I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies in fine art and arts education.
 
In addition to my more than 12 years of arts education, my mother’s creative and intellectual endeavors — including fashion design, science, world religions and spiritual practices — were all influential and have become the conceptual core of my artistic practice.
 
Art has shaped my worldview since it is a lifelong study, pursuit and career.
 
 
Q: You work with many different media, ranging from sculpture to painting. What is your favorite to work with?
 
I consider sculpture and painting to be opposite sides of the same coin, and my favorite is when they influence each other. I create with many materials — paint, fabric, collage, photography and performance. I enjoy finding the connections and harmonies that resonate between them.
 
 
Q: Tell us a bit about your artistic process. How do you get from start to finish on a project?
 
Drawing is the foundation of my artistic process. I draw sketches of sculptures that I’ve already made or plan to make in the future. This keeps my mind and hands coordinated and fresh. Paintings begin with words translated into gestures on paper or canvas. From there, I build layers, edit and find connections of color and meaning in the elements that I add. The process is almost entirely intuitive.
 
 
Q: Do you recall a pivotal moment or experience in your career that still influences your work?
 
“Twilight’s Compendium,” a site-specific installation at the Denver Art Museum, is one of my most signficant works. I used my body to make prints on the wall and combined them with sculpture and collage to create my first large-scale installation. It was a catalog of blues and a collection of marks that I learned throughout the process — which I continue to use now.
 
 
An Intimate Museum in Samsung’s Art Store
Q: Your work has been displayed at institutions ranging from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to the New Museum in New York. How does displaying your work on The Frame compare to displaying it inside museums or galleries?
 
Both platforms grant access to a wide audience. In museums, the viewer must take in the work in a more public, fast-paced environment. The Frame, on the other hand, is like having a piece of the museum in an intimate space, giving the viewer more time to explore details of the work.
 
 
Q: You have a collection of public works in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and more. How do you feel public works like these compare to your work that is widely available to users of The Frame?
 
My public works are available for people to see while in transit. They are monumentally scaled, from 60 to 150 feet. Some are indoors and at ground level, and others are outside and so high in the air that viewers must be at a distance to see the whole piece. All my works — wherever they are found — reveal intricate details upon closer observation, similar to viewing art on The Frame.
 
 
Q: What pieces would you recommend users display on The Frame? Please give a brief explanation of each.
 
▲ “Angel” (2011)
 
“Angel” is a composite of three images I shot of one of my favorite hanging sculptures. With pink and rainbows, this piece is great to display on The Frame since not everyone has space for work like this in their home.
 
▲ “Dusk” (2012)
 
“Dusk” is a fabric wall sculpture and the only one that became a landscape made from clothing in my closet. I’m inspired by our quest for paradise and utopia through our keepsakes. For users, I hope it could be like viewing an imaginative rolling hill through a window.
 
▲ “Memories of my youth streak by on the 23” (2019)
 
“Memories of my youth streak by on the 23” is new to The Frame, and it is my favorite part of a mural-like mixed media painting. Through the cut mirrors, the viewer catches glimpses of themselves in the work — like my experience riding the bus to school as a teenager or seeing my window reflection against the cityscape.
 
 
Technology and Artistic Accessibility
Q: Do you feel there are any advantages to displaying your work digitally, such as on The Frame?
 
I love seeing my work in different scales and mediums. The Frame is a beautiful platform that gives the viewer the advantage of both variety and intimacy.
 
 
Q: Throughout your career, how have you seen technology influence the art world? How do you see this changing in the future?
 
Anything that causes a shift in society is reflected in the art world — technology has evolved so drastically that it has changed modern society with home computers, wireless cable TV, the internet and social media.
 
Disposable cameras and camcorders gave people wider access to photography and videography. Now, everyone can film, document and share every increment of life through their smartphones.
 
Looking to the future, everyone is talking about AI and using it to think and create for people. As we continue this exploration, I hope we will continue to rely on our own abilities and creativity.
 
 
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects you’re able to tell us about?
 
“Metamorph” will open in April at the Monique Meloche Gallery during EXPO Chicago. The exhibition will showcase new paintings, sculptures and works on paper inspired by butterflies, transformation and resilient beauty.
 
This July, I will also present a new large-scale sculptural installation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.
 
My latest exhibition, “Parade,” recently opened at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The synergy between my contemporary fabric works and the adorned, draped figures of European master paintings is striking. Available until January 2025, the gallery will feature various talks and performances starting this May through the fall.
 
 
Visit Samsung Art Store in The Frame to see more of Shinique Smith’s artwork.
View the full article

Shinique Smith is a New York-based artist widely recognized for her monumental fabric sculptures and abstract paintings infused with calligraphy and collages. In her art, she uses recycled objects or memories to showcase the power of personal possessions — believing that humans collect meaningful keepsakes in search of their own paradise. Her work has become renowned in the past two decades for conveying inspiring messages of personal expression, energy, history and identity. Now, Smith’s globally acclaimed artwork comes to life with The Frame’s cutting-edge technology.
 
Samsung Newsroom sat down with Smith to discuss her artistic journey and the inspiration behind some of her work.
 
▲ Shinique Smith poses in front of one of her works
 
 
From Early Creative Exposure to a Varied and Flourishing Career
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and your career as an artist. How did your early exposure to the art world influence your career?
 
I was born, raised and educated in Baltimore, Maryland. My mother made certain that creativity was integral to my upbringing. What began as arts and crafts in my early childhood inspired me to attend the Baltimore School for the Arts, where I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies in fine art and arts education.
 
In addition to my more than 12 years of arts education, my mother’s creative and intellectual endeavors — including fashion design, science, world religions and spiritual practices — were all influential and have become the conceptual core of my artistic practice.
 
Art has shaped my worldview since it is a lifelong study, pursuit and career.
 
 
Q: You work with many different media, ranging from sculpture to painting. What is your favorite to work with?
 
I consider sculpture and painting to be opposite sides of the same coin, and my favorite is when they influence each other. I create with many materials — paint, fabric, collage, photography and performance. I enjoy finding the connections and harmonies that resonate between them.
 
 
Q: Tell us a bit about your artistic process. How do you get from start to finish on a project?
 
Drawing is the foundation of my artistic process. I draw sketches of sculptures that I’ve already made or plan to make in the future. This keeps my mind and hands coordinated and fresh. Paintings begin with words translated into gestures on paper or canvas. From there, I build layers, edit and find connections of color and meaning in the elements that I add. The process is almost entirely intuitive.
 
 
Q: Do you recall a pivotal moment or experience in your career that still influences your work?
 
“Twilight’s Compendium,” a site-specific installation at the Denver Art Museum, is one of my most signficant works. I used my body to make prints on the wall and combined them with sculpture and collage to create my first large-scale installation. It was a catalog of blues and a collection of marks that I learned throughout the process — which I continue to use now.
 
 
An Intimate Museum in Samsung’s Art Store
Q: Your work has been displayed at institutions ranging from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to the New Museum in New York. How does displaying your work on The Frame compare to displaying it inside museums or galleries?
 
Both platforms grant access to a wide audience. In museums, the viewer must take in the work in a more public, fast-paced environment. The Frame, on the other hand, is like having a piece of the museum in an intimate space, giving the viewer more time to explore details of the work.
 
 
Q: You have a collection of public works in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and more. How do you feel public works like these compare to your work that is widely available to users of The Frame?
 
My public works are available for people to see while in transit. They are monumentally scaled, from 60 to 150 feet. Some are indoors and at ground level, and others are outside and so high in the air that viewers must be at a distance to see the whole piece. All my works — wherever they are found — reveal intricate details upon closer observation, similar to viewing art on The Frame.
 
 
Q: What pieces would you recommend users display on The Frame? Please give a brief explanation of each.
 
▲ “Angel” (2011)
 
“Angel” is a composite of three images I shot of one of my favorite hanging sculptures. With pink and rainbows, this piece is great to display on The Frame since not everyone has space for work like this in their home.
 
▲ “Dusk” (2012)
 
“Dusk” is a fabric wall sculpture and the only one that became a landscape made from clothing in my closet. I’m inspired by our quest for paradise and utopia through our keepsakes. For users, I hope it could be like viewing an imaginative rolling hill through a window.
 
▲ “Memories of my youth streak by on the 23” (2019)
 
“Memories of my youth streak by on the 23” is new to The Frame, and it is my favorite part of a mural-like mixed media painting. Through the cut mirrors, the viewer catches glimpses of themselves in the work — like my experience riding the bus to school as a teenager or seeing my window reflection against the cityscape.
 
 
Technology and Artistic Accessibility
Q: Do you feel there are any advantages to displaying your work digitally, such as on The Frame?
 
I love seeing my work in different scales and mediums. The Frame is a beautiful platform that gives the viewer the advantage of both variety and intimacy.
 
 
Q: Throughout your career, how have you seen technology influence the art world? How do you see this changing in the future?
 
Anything that causes a shift in society is reflected in the art world — technology has evolved so drastically that it has changed modern society with home computers, wireless cable TV, the internet and social media.
 
Disposable cameras and camcorders gave people wider access to photography and videography. Now, everyone can film, document and share every increment of life through their smartphones.
 
Looking to the future, everyone is talking about AI and using it to think and create for people. As we continue this exploration, I hope we will continue to rely on our own abilities and creativity.
 
 
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects you’re able to tell us about?
 
“Metamorph” will open in April at the Monique Meloche Gallery during EXPO Chicago. The exhibition will showcase new paintings, sculptures and works on paper inspired by butterflies, transformation and resilient beauty.
 
This July, I will also present a new large-scale sculptural installation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.
 
My latest exhibition, “Parade,” recently opened at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The synergy between my contemporary fabric works and the adorned, draped figures of European master paintings is striking. Available until January 2025, the gallery will feature various talks and performances starting this May through the fall.
 
 
Visit Samsung Art Store in The Frame to see more of Shinique Smith’s artwork.
View the full article

Samsung Electronics today announced that its 2024 edition of The Frame has earned Pantone Validated ArtfulColor certification from Pantone,1 a globally renowned authority in color standards. This certification highlights The Frame’s advanced adaptive color technology, which ensures an exceptional color reproduction capability that meets Pantone’s rigorous standards for authentic color that is nearly indistinguishable to the human eye under standard lighting conditions.
 
“Consumers are expecting more out of The Frame,” said Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our aim is to always provide the best possible customer experience, and in the case of The Frame, this is accomplished by giving users a display that portrays art in a way that is true-to-life. We’ve achieved this with the Pantone Validated ArtfulColor certification and will continue to work towards optimizing the viewing experience further.”
 
Pantone Validated ArtfulColor evaluates if displays can faithfully simulate a range of physical Pantone Color cards and Pantone SkinTone color cards under CIE2 standard illuminant D65, which portrays illumination that is more-or-less equivalent to that of the average midday light in Western or Northern Europe. The Frame is the world’s first display in the industry to meet this stringent validation, reaffirming Samsung’s leadership in color fidelity that was first recognized by previous Pantone Validated status across all QLED TVs in 2022.3
 
“After evaluating Samsung The Frame in standardized ambient lighting, we were very pleased with the high quality of the on-screen Pantone color reproduction,” said Iain Pike, Senior Global Director of Product and Licensing at Pantone. “These results are duly reflected in the award of the world’s first television to earn the Pantone Validated ArtfulColor designation. Visually, we can also confirm the lifelike quality of the displayed colors and skin tones compared to the physical swatch cards, as observed by our technical team during the evaluation process. This is a truly unique, value-added capability of Samsung The Frame we tested.”
 
The Frame’s Art Mode is specifically designed to exhibit artwork and photographs with true-to-life colors under standard lighting conditions such as at homes or galleries. It offers viewers an immersive and authentic art viewing experience by intelligently adjusting brightness and hues to optimize the image for ambient lighting conditions.
 
Leveraging Samsung’s cutting-edge QLED display technology, The Frame has previously received Pantone Validated and SkinTone Validated approvals for its precise emissive rendering of the full gamut of Pantone SkinTone colors and the vast spectrum of all 2,390 colors contained within the Pantone Matching System (PMS). The Frame also comes with a Matte Display — which significantly reduces glare and reflections — bringing the extensive collection of approximately 2,300 artworks from the Samsung Art Store to life.
 
For more information on The Frame, visit http://samsung.com.
 
 
1 Pantone company provides a universal language of color, called Pantone Matching System(PMS), that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers.
2 Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage or International Commission on Illumination, in English.
3 https://news.samsung.com/global/2022-samsung-qled-and-lifestyle-tvs-recognized-by-top-global-certification-institutes-for-eye-comfort-safety-and-color-accuracy
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Samsung Electronics today announced that Lucid Group, Inc., has installed The Wall at its design studio to enhance the collaborative design process for their future electric vehicle models. With cutting-edge MicroLED technology, The Wall offers exceptional visual capabilities, providing Lucid with additional tools to meet the surging demand for sustainable electric vehicles, while elevating the luxury experience for drivers.
 
“At Lucid, we’re on a mission to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy with a focus on the human experience. With The Wall, we’re able to take this mission to new heights,” said Jenny Ha, Exterior Design Manager at Lucid Motors. “While designing the Lucid Air Sapphire, from concept sketches all the way to final adjustments, Samsung enabled us to visualize the future of our vehicles in high resolution at all stages of development. No detail was left unnoticed, and we’re thrilled for our customers to experience the results of the new design process.”
 
“The Wall installation in the Lucid Motors design studio is another great example of how Samsung innovations are helping our partners and customers unlock their own exciting innovations to drive their business in exciting new ways,” said James Fishler, Senior Vice President of the Home Entertainment & Display Divisions at Samsung Electronics America. “Supporting Lucid in its mission to deliver sustainable luxury vehicles – and the stunning design of the new Lucid Sapphire made possible with our 255-inch class high resolution display — has been both inspiring and rewarding.”
 
▲ Simon Tovey, Exterior Design Director at Lucid Motors, and Jiyeon Jenny Ha, Exterior Design Manager, discuss the exterior design for the Lucid Air Sapphire using The Wall with MicroLED technology
 
 
High-Definition Image Quality Delivered at Full-Sized Scale for Seamless Collaboration
Powered by superior MicroLED technology, the 255-inch display empowers Lucid’s designers to view and review their designs in true-to-life color at a 1:1 scale. Not only does the true-life color produce a realistic rendering of the design, but the high-resolution display accurately reproduces the reflection of light off complex 3D surfaces.
 
The authentic image rendition allows for increased collaboration between engineering and design teams, resulting in accelerated decision making processes that save the company time and money.
 
▲ Simon Tovey, Exterior Design Director at Lucid Motors, reviews details of the Lucid Air Sapphire in front of The Wall with MicroLED technology
 
“The Wall has revolutionized the way our design and engineering teams work together,” added Ha. “With this technology, we can effortlessly visualize design data that incorporates engineering feedback and simulation results, allowing us to promptly assess the effects of any alteration on the overall design. In other words, development teams now operate more efficiently, and drivers can enjoy enhanced luxury aesthetics without compromising superior vehicle performance. It can be a tricky sweet spot to balance, but The Wall helps us pinpoint it seamlessly.”
 
▲ Jiyeon Jenny Ha, Exterior Design Manager at Lucid Motors, presents the design for Lucid Air Sapphire on The Wall with MicroLED technology
 
The Wall’s flexible-yet-compact design also saves valuable studio floor space at Lucid’s headquarters. This allows multidisciplinary teams to use the space for collaborative design workshops to perfectly refine every detail of the vehicles to deliver the premiere quality drivers deserve.
 
To learn more about how The Wall is revolutionizing automotive design, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/displays/direct-view-led/the-wall/.
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