Augmenting Art: The Bombay Sapphire AR 3D Painting Experience at Vivid Sydney invites users to step into Elliott Routledge's creative world through an immersive AR journey where technology and artistry converge.
Drink coasters became the entry point to the experience
As a digital creative director, I had the privilege of collaborating with Bombay Sapphire Australia, a brand renowned for its innovative spirit. They were a major sponsor of Vivid Sydney 2022, a festival celebrated for its captivating installations and experiences. Our shared vision was to create something unique that would seamlessly integrate Bombay Sapphire into the heart of this vibrant event.
The brief was to create an engaging and interactive experience that would not only showcase Bombay Sapphire’s presence at Vivid Sydney but also provide a memorable, interactive experience for the attendees. The challenge was to blend art with technology in a way that was both innovative and accessible.
Original commissioned art by Elliott Routledge
Elliott's iconic shapes, brushes & colour palette became essential elements of the User Experience
My approach was to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) web app that allowed users to interact with Elliott Routledge’s distinctive art elements and style by painting and decorating in an overlapping virtual 3D space.
The AR web app gave the public the chance to become artists themselves, by using Elliott's signature brush strokes, iconic shapes turned into 3D objects, and colour palette. And then ‘walking’ through their compositions on the Z-plan.
This interactive journey was designed to be easily accessible via QR codes on coasters at Bombay Sapphire’s popup bar, where users could decorate a virtual bottle of Bombay Sapphire, share their creations on social media, and enter a competition to win exclusive artwork from Elliott Routledge.
Userflow
As the Creative Director for the Bombay Sapphire AR experience at Vivid Sydney, my responsibilities extended beyond just the conceptualisation and implementation of the AR app. From ensuring the brand and the artist’s identity were well represented, defining the UX, Userflow, Art directing the 3D modeling and UI designs to liaising with game and web developers, testing, hiring hosting and the infrastructure, presenting it to stakeholders every step of the way and publishing it.
Besides all of that, a crucial part of my role involved creatively directing all the communications for the campaign. This task encompassed overseeing the creation and distribution of content across various channels, including social media and out-of-home (OOH) media. My focus was to ensure that our messaging resonated with our target audience, creating a coherent and compelling narrative that not only highlighted our innovative AR experience but also the artistic essence of Bombay Sapphire.
This involved strategising the content, visuals, and overall tone, ensuring consistency across all platforms. From captivating social media posts designed to engage and intrigue our audience to eye-catching OOH advertisements that captured the essence of our collaboration with Elliott Routledge and the immersive nature of Vivid Sydney, every aspect of the campaign's communication bore my creative signature. This holistic approach was instrumental in creating a buzz around the event, drawing more attendees to the experience and reinforcing the brand's image as an innovator at the intersection of technology and art.
The AR experience was a triumph, successfully marrying Elliott Routledge’s artistic flair with the latest in AR technology. It became one of the focal point of Bombay's Vivid Sydney Sponsorship, engaging a wide audience and effectively capturing valuable data for Bombay Sapphire. This project not only enhanced the brand's presence at the festival but also set a new standard for interactive brand experiences for Bacardí and in Australia.
Client: Bombay Sapphire Australia
Agency: 92Proof
Creative & Art Director: Berto Macario
Artist and Illustrator: Elliott Routledge
UI Designer: Sadao Abe
Soundtrack: Nicky Night Time
Event: Vivid Sydney
Agency: 92Proof
Creative & Art Director: Berto Macario
Artist and Illustrator: Elliott Routledge
UI Designer: Sadao Abe
Soundtrack: Nicky Night Time
Event: Vivid Sydney
