Major Project 1 - Final Compilation


06/02/2024 - 19/03/2024 (Week 01 - Week 07)
Wong Khye Qing / 0361000
Major Project 1/ Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Compilation 


Link: 
 
 
Instructions
 


About Major Project 1...

Apparently, we are one of the first batch of students that are in the amended format of the Major Project, also known as our Final Project course. This course has been structured into 2 parts, Major Project 1 and 2 which will take place in different semester rather than the usual, in one long semester. 

The course has also taken another approach on the student's final output, which is having a product launch or campaign, rather than the usual brand identity final year project. Due to there are only 4 students including me, taking the course in this short semester, we get a chance to work on the course in a group. 


Task 1: Proposal Development

Week 1

We had our first briefing from Mr Asrizal about the overview of this course and I get to meet my coursemates. There were a few things we were briefed about and the gist what we have discussed:
  • We were given a few choices for our major project, 
    • Use established brand, curate product or campaign launch
    • Find industry client, discuss with the timeline match skillset and requirements
    • Curate an social impact project, SDG. Taylor's Impact Lab
  • We could save time by using an existing brand rather than creating a brand new identity as the main purpose of the major project is to showcase our skills
  • We have choose to work in a group and create a product launch or campaign for an existing brand by showcasing our skills based on our specialization. 

Mr Asrizal also shared some sites for us to get some inspiration that showcase the making of some campaigns and advertisement. These links gave us some idea on how our product or campaign launch should be structured or carried out. 


Week 3: Idea Presentation and Selection

Fig 1.0  Brainstormed Brands and Categories

Discussions were made to come out with some ideas for our project, we have brainstorm on a few ideas with different brands as well as different categories. We agreed that we should go after brands from the Gadget or Food industry, in which we have gather the brands in a list (Fig 1.0). 

Fig 1.1  Idea Proposal Presentation Slide

After finalizing on the ideas, we have proposed 3 ideas for our project: 
  • Kopitiam, advertising campaign 
  • Rabbit R1, campaign launch 
  • Tealive, campaign launch 
The Kopitiam idea will take an approach of redesigning and rebranding the brand identity of an old kopitiam, creating a menu ordering site, having packaging for their specialty products and promoting the shop on social media. 

Then, the Rabbit R1, which is a new product launching near April 2024, it is an AI assistant product that able to execute actions based on the prompts given by the users. Since the product have yet to be launched, we could make a campaign to launch and promote the product, by having interactive kiosk, interesting promotion videos or motion graphics and motion posters.

Tealive, is a famous tea brand, we are planning to create an attractive campaign to further increase the brand awareness. Interactive campaigns will be a great attraction to reinforce the brand image and impression for the user. Augmented Reality (AR) elements would also be an interesting way to present and allow user to interact with the products. 

※Feedback summarized: It was suggested that Rabbit R1 is a new tech, which grants us the freedom for exploration. Given that the kopitiam has a physical store making the project will turn too corporate. Meanwhile, Tealive is alright and the creative campaign could spread across different specialization. It would be good for us to focus on the concept and big idea for our project. 



Week 5: Present Project Proposal
 

Fig 1.2  Discussion on idea selection and the big idea

Before starting out for the proposal, we have a discussion on selecting the ideas, few considerations were taken into selecting them. Tealive was considered one of the easier idea to replicate as it is common and had done quite a few campaigns that we might not able to accomplish or overtake. 

Choosing of Rabbit R1 would allow us to have advantage as brand awareness of it is not widespread across a lot of people. There were also less competitor that is similar to Rabbit R1, making it new and interesting to others. With all things considered, we have chosen Rabbit R1 for our project!

Fig 1.2 Proposal Presentation Slides 



Fig 1.3  The Big Idea for Rabbit R1 

The next Step is to figure out The Big Idea for the project, Gim Khoon has proposed to us about the big idea, about labelling the Rabbit R1 as "Your Pocket Concierge". It is an AI assistant tool that is able to fit into our pocket that equipped with a special AI algorithm that is able to understand our commands and carry out the task efficiently. Once again changing how we would be using an AI assistant with not only suggestions and no actions taken. 


Fig 1.4  AR Idea of concealment

An idea of AR that would show elements or element after scanning to AR mode was brought up. It will make the user something to look forward to upon scanning the scene to have elements showing up on their devices, this would allow a more immersive experience. 


Fig 1.5  Cube installation

Square shape was chosen for the cube installation to represent the Rabbit R1 device silhouette as well as reinforcing it onto the users to have an impression on the brand and device. 

The cube installation could be made into a mockup either physical or virtual, a physical mockup could be made using clear orange acrylic to show the overall setup of the installation. The virtual installation would be a complete setup with designs, it could be scanned for AR mode where user could go around to look at the setup. 
Fig 1.6  Our Next Step and Guideline, Mr Asrizal

※Feedback summarized: Suggestions have been given by Mr Asrizal to have further research into Rabbit R1 as well as get to know on what makes it so special and different that it could offer what kind of features that differ from its competitors. The brand identity also should be studied to create a style guide. Mockups would also needed to be created for later stages of the project. 


Task 2: Design Proposition

Week 6: Product Study
Fig 1.7  Product Study Presentation Slide

Further studies were done to understand more about Rabbit R1, something of their competitors as well as what makes them different from others. This study was able to let us know more of Rabbit R1's strength and what sets it apart form its competitor given a huge difference of the AI algorithm model capabilities. 

There were also some problems and issues addressed that could be solved by Rabbit R1. It served as a game changer that could solve a lot of our concerns towards Artificial Intelligence, this could sure tap into the fullest potential of being "Your Pocket Concierge". 


Fig 1.8  Rabbit R1 Style Guide & The Study of Its Style

Furthermore, the study towards the styles of Rabbit R1 has let us to gather and compile its overall styles to allow us to have a Style Guide for further reference. The official website of Rabbit R1 was also studied in order to gather more information on the overall design style decisions.  The usage of Adobe Color, suggested by Mr Asrizal, was also convenient to obtain the color codes of the Rabbit R1. 

 
Fig 1.9  Moodboard for the Design Style

Design Style Moodboard Link

Then we have also concluded the design style that we would go with for the Rabbit R1 campaign launch. The styles that we have chosen were a slight twist and contrast towards the real Rabbit R1's design style to have a brighter and more fun style than the original. It would also be more attractive to a lot of people seeing captivating titles with bold fonts and brighter colors. 


Fig 1.10  Line Art Style from Official Rabbit R1 Website

The Line Art style will serve as a homage towards the original style that was used in the animation for the Rabbit R1 Rabbit OS webpage. This style features a more industrial and technology look towards it and would be a good style for the motion graphics. 


Week 7: Mockup Creation
Fig 1.11  Mockup Brief Presentation Slides 

Upon the previous task, we have moved on to finalizing our mockups. Due to I am from the UI/UX specialization, I would work closely with Gim Khoon who is also from the specialization. We are to  create mockups such as Website interface, Kiosk interface, AR display and curation of the some of the experience of installations for our project. 


Fig 1.12  Moodboard for the Overall Interface Style, Modern Text Stylization


For the interface, we would be using the styles mentioned above (Fig 1.9), especially the Modern Text Stylization. Attempts on the integration of unusual shapes have been made to create a fun interface with bold text. Further refinements are required for this stage to have a more refine design. 


Fig 1.13  Mockup Process for Website 

Attempts on integrating large font and contents banner has been made by Gim Khoon, I have also suggested to create some visual hierarchy for the overall design by decreasing some font size of "Your Pocket". At this stage we were still slowly getting used to creating the unusual shapes and refinements were required. 


Fig 1.14  Mockup Process for Kiosk

The Kiosk will primarily function as the a display to show the features of Rabbit R1 in detailed and enable the users to interact with the kiosk interface. Images would also be shown on the screen to be a better reference for the users. There could also be QR codes for the users to scan to interact with some elements on their devices. 


Fig 1.15  Mockup Process for AR Cube

I have also went on to search for some mockup reference for the AR cube installation. There were in stacks that allow users to a walk around it and scan the surface to view some elements in the AR mode. It would increase the interaction of user with the installation and understand more about the product. 

Fig 1.16  Minor Sketch of Motion Graphic and Its Reference

Although I am from the UI/UX specialization, I am interested in the motion graphics and so I contributed some ideas on it. The idea was to have something of a factory concept as the original, the rabbits will be the main characters for the video. The rabbits will have their own stations (features) to work on. If any task was carried out successfully, carrots (success attempt) will drop down as the reward for the rabbit. Then the video will slowly zoom out to show an overview of the factory and the stations (feature). It will also zoom out and show the Rabbit R1 device, signifying that all the functions are fitted in the device itself. 

It was also suggested the video could be split into featuring different types of features, meanwhile the ending for zooming out the factory to the device can be repeated near the end of the video. 


Links Shared by Mr Asrizal as a reference for the overall website landing page, besides that, Mr Asrizal also suggested us to make a journey video during our Major Project 2 to record on the process and behind the scenes for the entire project. 

 
Task 3: Concept Presentation
 
Week 8: Final Refinement & Final Presentation 


Fig 1.17  Landing Page On Drag Refinement

Upon previous consultation, there are more possibility for us to work on for the landing page, Gim Khoon and I have worked together to create the landing page. I have also tried to adjust the layouts of the wordings with the device. Gim Khoon also added the Scroll animations by using the "On Drag" feature in Figma to have a smoother transition and also simulate the scrolling or swiping effect since Figma does not have one. 


Fig 1.18  Card Stacks Effect

Smart animation was also added so that the cards would stack as the user scroll through the interface. The visual stacking could also simulate card stackings and showing that there are features before that the users can go back and refer. 



Fig 1.19  Feature Bento with Unusual shapes and Attempts of Creating the Shapes

A Bento display for the Rabbit R1 features is a good way to present for the users to have an overview of the features for device. Attempts on creating unusual shapes were shown in right image (Fig 1.19)  done by Gim Khoon and me, primarily Gim Khoon has attempted to create shapes on the top and bottom left, while I attempted in creating the shapes for the bento on the top and bottom right. 


Fig 1.20  Final output of Web Landing Page Mockup in Figma


Fig 1.21  AR Cube in Figma and Cube Mockup

I have created the designs for the 6 sides of the AR Cube being that to show the features of the Rabbit R1. All the sides were featured on the mockups as shown on above. The idea is to allow users to scan using their device on the sides of the cubes to display motion graphics or videos in the AR mode to increase user engagement. 

※Feedback summarized: The deliverables lacked the focus of objective, we should focus what people can get from from them. The overall fun and quirky style lacked the connection, it should be solidified and enhanced on the playfulness, Try bring what we wanted to present down to layman terms and easier to understand rather than going to technical.

Possible Outcomes & Further Ideas...

  • AR/VR Cube Installation
    The Cube installation could be viewed in AR or VR, a miniature physical cube installation was proposed but it were to be based on situation and the progress of our project, as it might be deemed as ambitious

  • AR Cube Improvements
    Addition of motivations and activities that motivates the user to scan the cube into AR mode. Alternatives such as previewing the scan and building up mystery on what is shown after the scan, quests that motivates users to scan and play along in order to get the prize. 

  • AR/VR Cube Installation
    The Cube installation could be viewed in AR or VR, a miniature physical cube installation was proposed but it were to be based on situation and the progress of our project, as it might be deemed as ambitious

Final Presentation
Fig 1.22 Final Presentation Slides 



Feedbacks

Week 3
  • Its not a concern of the product is outdated, most important is to showcase our individual's skill
  • Kopitiam is a physical store, the project will turn too corporate.
  • Rabbit R1 is an unknown product, there are more freedom for exploration
  • If you guys are choosing Rabbit RI, find what it can benefit our daily life and why do we need it. 
  • If you guys are doing flyers, the compilation could be like Coca-cola
  • Tealive is okay, the creative campaign can be distributed across different specialization.
  • You guys should think of what are the concept and the big idea. Figure out the sub branches of the campaign that all of you guys can play a part in.
  • Can take bits and pieces from different reference. Try finding big idea and the message its trying to convey
  • Try creating a campaign that is able to connect people and make connections. 

Week 5
  • Rabbit is relatively new product and less promoted around, it is a good choice 
  • Have objectives for the project and the end goal is to identify on what are we going to provide
  • Try exposing and promote the features of the Rabbit R1 that could attract the users. 
  • Research on what makes Rabbit R1 different than other competitors. Try to create problems and issues so that it can identify on what the device is able to do to solve the problems. 
  • Study on the brand identity of Rabbit R1 to create a Style Guide (font, color, design style)
  • Find out the closest competitors. Dive deeper into the "Your Pocket Concierge". 
  • Identify the design concept as well as create moodboard for the Master Project and each components for possible outcomes. 
  • Create mockups for the possible outcomes. 
Week 6
  • Try not to use too many technical terms, communicate with clarity and simple as possible, so that it will be easier to understand by a normal people. 
  • ‌Can be put into a way that it is able to act like a dog by training the machine for easy interpretation and understanding
  • The design styles can be combined, playful, having big text, technology looking style (try playing with layout and shapes)
  • ‌Line art style can be used for animation 
  • Be sure to create the Key artworks, identify the brand identity colors and have clear assets. 
Week 7
  • You guys could research and explore more on the available websites online as references, such as the DJI that has a clear way of putting information in their site. 
  • Compile the possible outcomes based on your specializations. 
Week 8 (Presentation Feedbacks)

  • Brand Identity and Communication

    • Cohesiveness: There's a disconnect between the desired brand identity (playful, quirky) and the current solutions (stiff, corporate). The visual narrative is missing. 
    • Focus on User Benefits: Marketing materials (website, poster) prioritize features over user benefits. Explain how the device solves user problems or enhances their lives.
    • Clear Objective: Define the core message you want to communicate across all platforms.

  • Poster Design

    • Emotional Connection: Use a picture human faces with relatable expressions using the device to create an emotional connection with viewers. This is to replace generic, corporate imagery.
    • Image Relevance: Poster visuals should directly relate to the message and brand identity.

  • Social Media (Instagram)

    • Attention-grabbing Content: Current content lacks immediate engagement. Try incorporating quotes, user-generated content (pictures), and interactive elements (polls, swipe-ups).
    • Information Balance: Strike a balance between being visually appealing and providing key product information (not too technical).

  • AR Cube Design 

    • Redundant Packaging: Its faster to scan the box rather than using the kiosk. Users should be able to scan the cube directly for quicker interaction.
    • AR Integration: Consider incorporating AR features that motivates the users, like treasure hunts or quizzes to gamify the user experience and encourage exploration.

  • Video Reel 

    • Narrative Flow: Define the animation style and develop a clear narrative that showcases the product's features and user benefits.
    • Focus on User Impact: Shift focus from the device's technical aspects to how the product enhances users' lives and creates emotional connections.

  • Overall Messaging

    • Solidify Playful Identity: Refine the brand identity to ensure it's consistently playful and quirky across all touchpoints.
    • Layman-Friendly Communication: Try breaking down information into an easier format that can allow non-technical audiences understand 
    • Highlight Emotional Connection: Focus on the emotional connection between the users with the product and how it can improve their lives and make them wanted to buy it. 
  • Additional Notes
    • Specific Reach: Try to setting the target audience within a certain range and not having a huge age gap. 
    • Team Collaboration: Ensure all team members break down on the task to contribute to a unified artistic direction and style. 
    • Project Deliverables: Develop a detailed plan for delivering the final concept, including target audience reach and strategies for promoting any potential launch events.


Final Reflection

I feel that this is a great course especially an eye opener for me. It was a great opportunity for me to understand my flaws and fields that I should improve in. This major project allow us to have a stronger brand awareness especially at a design and marketing point of view, by having strategic planning and understanding what the users want and need. Designing along the way, I have found out that I have quite missed the point of designing especially for my UI/UX Specialization. I was blindly designing, aiming without any targets. Mr Asrizal industry insights and feedbacks have been a great advices and inputs for me to ponder upon and improve on. 

The idea of launching a campaign or a product is a great way to train us into thinking of a bigger picture as well as keeping in mind of the minor components of each possible outcomes. Besides that, working as a group can also get us ready for the industry where we might not be working alone. It trains me to have team work as well as task distribution abilities while working on the project. Finally, I would also like to thank Mr Asrizal for his feedbacks and inputs as well as his encouragements, it has been nice to have him around to keep us on tabs. I would also like to thank my coursemates, Gim Khoon, Jeremy and Sejin for being supportive and have a good collaborative spirit, see you guys in the Major Project 2!!