Outcomes
Our final outcome is the campaign Artleisure—a brand activation in the form of an audio-visual installation that immerses users in a unique and imaginative landscape, challenging conventional notions of exercises.
Through this campaign, we aimed to elevate the exciting personality of a mock sportswear brand by using generative artwork to innovate how young adults approach working out.
The installation was realised through a combination of hardware, the Arduino system, and software, p5.js. Using p5.js, we alter the playback speed and volume of the track based on the received input of the person's motion and acceleration. Together with the audio, the colour and size of the torus shape changes according to the angle and direction of the sensor in the wristband. This means that each visual output is unique and personalised to the user’s motions—breathing a new life into the typically monotonous activity of exercise.
Feedback
Fortunately, the team received primarily positive feedback from our lecturers during the mock client presentation. Above all, they appreciated our consideration of the installation’s construction and material through our use of the 3D-modelling software Blender to create the spatial design. They supported our decision to shift the shape of the installation from a cylindrical one to a polygonal structure, commenting that this effectively created a more immersive space that better complements the purpose of the campaign. The reflective material allows the user to enter into an imaginary landscape that seemingly becomes real through the visibility of the existing environment around them.
Despite these, we still received several points of constructive criticism, with the most prominent being related to the technical aspects of Artleisure rather than its conceptual foundation. For example, the sensor we used could only process acceleration, so the torus shape was limited to the centre of the screen and could not respond to the user’s positional displacements. As such, the possibilities with the generative artwork are limited within these constraints, so while the outcome is still appealing, it could have been greatly more interactive.
The team found the feedback immensely valuable, with some of their comments not even occurring to us during the design process. Our prominent takeaway from this project is that visualising each aspect of the concept is integral when pitching or presenting to a client. It is especially important to be able to explain the technical aspects behind such an installation in a way that is concise and evidently relevant to their brand. These are important considerations to ensure that the client thoroughly understands how and why the brand activation will operate a certain way.
Conclusion
After the completion of our Artleisure project, we are pleased with the overall outcome and achievements. With the insight we started off with, we believe that the solution we developed offers a fresh and exciting approach to physical activity by giving the user an unforgettable interactive experience.
As a group, we believe that we have made significant progress from our first presentation to our final one.Through carefully planning during the creative conceptualization stage and refinement of our concept, we were able to produce prototypes and a final outcome that aligns with our original idea.
If we had additional resources, we would like to extend the idea further by adding a social and collaborative aspect to it. As people enjoy sharing their achievements online, we envision the opportunity to share the visuals of the generative artwork on social media through an aesthetically pleasing infographic presentation. Additionally, since exercising with friends is more enjoyable, we would like to incorporate an opportunity to blend the generative artwork together.
Team Views
Jacqueline Tan Under the guidance of Andreas, and Joe from R/GA, we were able to create an experience through conceptualisation and technical application—one I wouldn't have thought possible.
It took a while for us to get into the groove, but once we got past certain limitations of our knowledge and software abilities, the entire project truly came together, and the outcome took form in an engaging and effective manner. I'm thankful that we got this opportunity to learn from R/GA, and also learn more about interactive experiences in more professional settings like this.
Julienne Lim Overall, I enjoyed working under R/GA’s guidance and learning how to design professionally and be attuned to industry needs. For me, the most impactful part of the project was bridging the gap between the conceptual and technical aspects of the work.
We had to trudge past our inexperience with the tools used to develop our concept to an intelligible, realistic degree. While it was quite difficult and tedious, I was immensely pleased with the outcomes and feel more equipped to tackle similar projects that entail brand activation.
Ly Thao Le At the beginning of the project, my group and I struggled to generate novel ideas, as similar concepts have already been done. This left me feeling somewhat overwhelmed, as we were unsure of how to visualise our ideas. However, we made an effort to work together to create a good solution, while also seeking guidance from our lecturers throughout the process.
Eventually, everything paid off, and looking back on these past weeks, I am very proud of what we accomplished. Although the initial challenges were daunting, they served as valuable learning experiences, and I will definitely use the learning outcomes on future projects.
