The product
The long and short: This project allows artists to speak directly to their fans through augmented reality.
A new way to advertise
Lola is an interactive augmented reality flyer designed to serve as an exploration into the future of advertising.
Made with
Cover image courtesy of Eloquence Magazine, March 2011 issue. Photography by David Sheldrick. Model: Fabian Yoon. Editor: Grace Park. Stylist: Alex Ryba. Image retrieved from Behance
Research and understanding the problem
Problems:
Graphic Designers wish for more real estate when designing promotional material so that they can show off more of the product/art over informational content.
People tend to engage less with physical print advertising than with digital.
Solution Statement:
Using augmented reality, this project allows designers, artists, and those working within promotion and marketing to relagate their informational material through an augmented reality experience. Therefore, also boosting fan engagement through the interactive nature of the experience.
“'Lola' shows that artists can deepen fan connections, boost event excitement, attract sponsors, and enhance marketing flexibility.”
User Research
After interviewing multiple designers over video call the consensus was clear: Flyer creation is much more satisfying and artistically expressive when text is minimal.
An opposition to this idea though I somewhat resonate with and heard echoed was I found is that some designers actually liked the challenge on incoperating text into a flyer design - Which I agree with but more in relation to the main text and not informational text. See examples of what I mean here:
User Research
Method of Research
I conducted qualitative user research through user interviews with 5 different individuals over video call.
The age range for my research participants was 21-54. I wanted to get a catalog of people who identified as tech-savvy and those who did not.
Image from 'Mon Oncle Movie Identity' project by Kate Marie Koyama, published on Behance on August 25, 2013
Research Goal
Discover current attitudes on print advertisements.
Gauge user interest in augmented reality.
Findings
A notable quote from one of my participants:
“From my experience in design, I've found that less really is more. A poster with just a few words can say so much. It's not just easier to design, but it also grabs attention and sticks with you. Simple, right? That's the beauty of it”
Jean-Cédric kouame, Graphic Designer, illustrator, Professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce
The process
First Steps:
I developed a mock event to base this project around. To develop the artist performing at this event. I got in contact with Courtney Bartlette, a poet and writer who graduated from Howard University. Together, we developed the character of ‘LOLA,’ who we described as an:
“Quirky, erratic Virgo with a soft spot for her old 2002 Toyota named Susan and a penchant for purple hues and cats.”
Designing Lola:
After pinpointing her personality, I developed a look and design aesthetic for Lola. I styled Courtney Bartlette to match that aesthetic of Lola.
Lola Hippie-Style Flyer Design
In designing the flyer, I made sure that it resonates with Lola's hippie style and aesthetic. Then used a clean, simple font for Lola's name to draw more attention to her face. I also incorporated a border within the flyer to give the impression that Lola is breaking free from the page. Hinting at the augmented reality capabilities
Augmenting the Flyer
Now that the design of the flyer was complete, it was time to make it pop. Using Unity and Vuforia's image targeting engine, I supplied my Unity project with the image of Lola, which would allow me to superimpose a rendition of the artist's face or likeness that would come off the page and engage with the fan, delivering information in a more interesting and informative manner than reading text.
For this project, I explored platforms like Unreal Engine's Metahuman Creator, which digitizes an artist's image with motion and voice capture. For this demo, I used Apple's Memoji as a stand-in, as it's capable and discreet. Memoji lets me design a character, track facial movements, and record audio from an iPhone, streamlining the process. After embedding the video into Unity, adjusting volume for proximity, and triggering it via image recognition, the magic unfolds.
Capturing Images:
I then set up an in-home photography studio and captured high-quality images, which were brought into Adobe Lightroom for editing.
Designing A Flyer:
Once I was happy with the photo editing, it was time to bring the image into Adobe Illustrator to create the flyer.
As a graphic designer, I understood the advantage of using extended reality in advertising. Many times, clients wanted flyers with an overload of text which often took away from the design. With augmented reality, I had the freedom to design with minimal text and broadcast information through Lola herself.
The product and closing remarks
The use of augmented reality and virtual reality in live events and ticketing industries has great potential. Companies like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and SeatGeek can use augmented reality within their apps to give fans a preview of concert seating and stage setup, bringing performers to life on promotional materials, and creating interactive experiences for fans. This could drive ticket sales and merchandise purchases. The possibilities with immersive technology are vast and could significantly enhance fan engagement and overall sales in the music industry.
Reflections….
This project was a joy for me to create because it allowed me to integrate my skills in photography, editing, fashion design, graphic design, augmented/virtual reality, and coding into one cohesive product. It pushed me to think innovatively with technology.
I feel I have grown as a creative through this project experience.
Features I would like to improve upon and include in the future are:
A feature that automatically generates a text message with key details from the flyer, providing users with a convenient way to share event information with friends.
An option for users to save a video clip of the artist speaking about their work, event details.