LOLA
A new way to advertise
Lola is an interactive augmented reality flyer designed to leverage and explore the future of advertising using emerging technology. I utilized my skills in photography, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Unity, C#, and fashion design to create this product.
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
In recent years, major tech companies have significantly invested in immersive media such as AR and VR.
Apple's Vision Pro launch in 2024 signals that immersive media is a significant, lasting trend. It's clear that immersive media is integrated into daily life, but the events and advertising sector is slow to adopt. Ticketmaster and Eventbrite could benefit from using AR in their promotions. Lola shows how ads can evolve with extended reality in the music industry.
'Lola' demonstrates 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 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:
Findings
“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:
To showcase the power of X.R. in advertising, I developed a mock event, artist, and venue. I got in contact with Courtney Bartlette, an aspiring poet and writer who studies at Howard University. Together, we developed the character of ‘LOLA,’ 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 and dressed Courtney Bartlette to match that aesthetic and transformed her into Lola.
Designing A Flyer (Cont.):
Lola Hippie-Style Flyer Design
In designing the flyer, I aimed to ensure that the background resonates with Lola's hippie style and aesthetic. Thus, I carefully selected a clean, simple font for Lola's name to draw more attention to her face and outfit. I also incorporated the concept of Augmented Reality without borders by adding an element that deliberately disrupts the flyer's conformity, creating the impression that Lola is breaking free from the page.
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 an object once the image had been found by a camera. The goal of the flyer is 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 can digitize an artist's image, allowing motion and voice capture. However, for this demo, I decided to utilize Apple's Memoji as a stand-in, as it is quite capable and discreet. Apple Memoji essentially allows me to design a character, track facial movements, and record audio all from an iPhone, streamlining the process greatly. After embedding this video into Unity, adjusting for proximity-based volume, and triggering it via image recognition, the magic unfolds.
Capturing Images:
I then set up an in-home photography studio and used my Sony camera to capture high-quality raw images, which were to be edited in Adobe Lightroom.
Designing A Flyer:
Once I was happy with the photo editing, it was time to bring the image into Photoshop to create a flyer.
As a graphic designer, I strongly understood the advantage of using extended reality in advertising. Many times, clients wanted overloaded flyers, which detracted from the design. With extended reality, I had the freedom to design with minimal text and broadcast information through augmented reality.
The product and closing remarks
The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in live event and ticketing industries has great potential. Big companies like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and SeatGeek can use AR in 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.