Why we’re doing artist collaborations at Buster

Ever seen a picture of a bus, and felt instantly inspired? No? Me neither — but I’m working on it.

Two weeks ago, we announced our first Buster artist collaboration, a sticker by Hiller Goodspeed. Hiller is an illustrator out of Vancouver you might know from his 2010 project, E.D.P.E.D. The sticker is a simple start to an aspiration we have as we grow — to support artists doing cool things, and find fresh ways to see group transportation.

Right now the visual landscape on this topic is pretty gross. Your typical image of group transportation tends to look like this:

This is a bus. Source: Wikipedia.

But we see another vision. For us, it’s not about buses. It’s about moving people to create great experiences. And in reality, it’s a beautiful thing.

Every day we work toward that goal as we work on our core product. We improve our search tools constantly, and we’re always bringing more of the industry online, seeking transparency and access for customers. Beyond that, we aspire to move people not just physically – but with a story about traveling and experiencing things together. That’s why we’re beginning an effort to encourage original artwork that tells a new story about group travel.

Long term, we’re hoping there will be a diverse, inspiring array of images that show group travel in a new light. Short term, we’ll keep creating them one at a time.

Buster x Hiller Goodspeed
Our collaboration with illustrator Hiller Goodspeed, a limited-run sticker.

 

Postscript: If you’re an artist, and you’d like to work with us on an original piece for this project, please get in touch!

Article by Sally Simms

Sally Simms is the VP of Product and Operations at Buster.