Tinygram aims to be the Draw Something of pixel art maker apps

Pixel art, or 8-bit art, has become a prominent Internet phenomenon. On the web, you can learn how to make pixel art from ordinary images or create one from scratch with the many pixel art maker apps out there. You can even create pixel art avatars on EightBit.Me.

Now, a new app called Tinygram is socializing the creation of 8-bit art. Think of it as Instagram meets Draw Something meets Lego. It takes 8-bit art quite literally: You create art on a 8×8 pixel canvas and share it with your friends.

Gamification and micro-transaction components are involved too. Guessing the title of art pieces created by others wins you new color tiles, and you can also purchase premium color tiles in-app. The more love your works get, the higher up you go on the leaderboard.

The unique pixel art maker app could appeal to art lovers and anyone who want to get into the world of 8-bit art. Its social and gamification elements sets it apart from the pack.

Tinygram is created by Eric Clark Su, a Philippines-based entrepreneur who works in Davao City. He’s also the founder and creator of PicLyf, a picture blogging platform which received angel funding from Skype co-founder Toivo Annus.

The pixel art phenomenon caters to our seemingly innate need to cling to the things of old. Even technophiles reminisce about dial-up modems and Pac-Man. The Museum of Endangered Sounds and Google Map’s April Fool’s joke pays homage to this need.

Our love for retro has even inspired a marketing trend. In nostalgia branding, marketers seek inspiration from past cultural artifacts to appeal to the generation that experienced them and even those who’ve never lived in that era (think singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey).

Comments