Judy Wang

In between the climate crisis and the loss of animal species, there is not enough emphasis on the disappearance of unseen plant life all over the world. Plants are the foundation of all life on this planet, providing so much, but the human-plant relationship is devoid of reciprocity. Created in three phases, this AR experience probes the past, present, and speculative future of plant-human relationships, as an informative and investigative tool.

Project Details

Date/Duration: March-May 2023
Role: Research, Visual Design, AR Design
Team: Solo Designer
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Aero, Adobe Indesign, Milanote
Why: Class Project, Portfolio Piece

The project began with gathering research materials, references, and visual inspiration on to Milanote. The various information was organized into thematic categories that could be used as a framework for the AR experience. The research is then compiled into a research dossier that functions as a reference and a place for further documentation. The dossier resembles a traditional textbook in its design but includes extra white space for notes.

This phase of the project starts with using the research as a foundation to create images. For the main visual elements, pictograms were designed to represent vital and eye-opening information that supports the main themes of the AR experience. Each pictogram is paired with a blurb that also provides information in written form.

The visual system of the pictograms arrived with the problem of the large number of pictograms. To distinguish the three themes from one another, each one was assigned its own visual system– pixels, strokes, and shapes. This visual system has also been utilized in creating the anchor images that the pictograms will sit on.

In the final phase, all visual elements are combined using Adobe’s augmented reality program, Aero Experience. Every pictogram was treated with a 3-dimensional stylization which allowed the images to pop off the flat anchor images. The pictograms were also given subtle animations that gave them some dynamic movement.

The interactive aspect was created using the trigger function in which tapping on a phone screen over a specific pictogram will display its respective blurb card. A tap on the blurb will make it dissappear and allow users to interact with another pictogram.

Although the creation of this project came together smoothly design-wise, a group test and trial of the AR’s functionality noted the clunky-ness of the overall experience. The user interface of the Areo app was finnicky, as was the image recognition of the anchor images which often led to the pictograms to be placed in wrong positions.