The shift from print to augmented realty
During this global pandemic, I was given the task of teaching a Poster Design class to seniors (at a state college in the Northeast). The 8-week class curriculum, before 2020, was to create two printed posters. Since March 2020, there have been many changes to academia and the world. There were un-achievable class objectives like ‘experiment(ing) with paper stock and printing processes’. Nor could we touch or experiment with the scale of the posters in a virtual setting. I researched how to modify the format of my Poster Design class into an online modality. The traditional media of a poster design needed to shift into a digital space. The question arose, of how to experience the poster without being printed on paper? This prompted the idea of digital posters in the form of AUGMENTED REALITY (AR). This new ‘material’ is available free and available through a mobile phone. My paper discusses the new possibilities with AR and demonstrates how it could re-shape the future of education.
Since March 2020, many of us have limited exposure to the outside world. We are not currently strolling around and admiring posters in public areas (such as schools, museums, restaurants). I began researching how to modify the format of my Poster Design class into an online modality. Poster Design is one of the most popular classes in our curriculum, but what was their expectation in the current pandemic? There were un-achievable objectives like ‘experiment(ing) with paper stock and printing processes’. Nor could we touch or experiment with the scale of the posters in a virtual setting. How can we experience the poster without a large printed piece? This prompted the idea of digital posters, social media, Zoom backgrounds, and augmented reality.
The main shift in the curriculum was recreating the posters with AR (augmented reality). The goal was to recreate their poster in an AR application””to create an experience. AR refers to technology that overlays information and virtual objects on real-world scenes in real-time. It uses the existing environment and adds information to it to make a new artificial environment. AR is now available to everyone in our pockets. Smartphones have added this new available experience ”” we just need to take advantage of it. For example with AR, you can try on glasses virtually without going to a store. You can navigate through a busy airport with the help of AR. Finally, you might experiment with silly, fun filters on Instagram or Snapchat. My research looked into how print and AR can work together. How print needs to pivot with technology but is still part of the process.
The results brought new experiences and adjusted the perspective of ‘Poster Design’ during the pandemic. In the current state of lack of travel and paper, the new curriculum was welcome and needed. My case study investigates the process of transforming the modularity of a print class into multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, and haptic. How shifting the perspective of the format can have the viewer not only see the poster but interact with it. How has the pandemic altered our print classes? Will print return or will print be a companion for AR experiences?
The main shift in the curriculum was recreating the posters with AR (augmented reality). The goal was to recreate their poster in an AR application””to create an experience. AR refers to technology that overlays information and virtual objects on real-world scenes in real-time. It uses the existing environment and adds information to it to make a new artificial environment. AR is now available to everyone in our pockets. Smartphones have added this new available experience ”” we just need to take advantage of it. For example with AR, you can try on glasses virtually without going to a store. You can navigate through a busy airport with the help of AR. Finally, you might experiment with silly, fun filters on Instagram or Snapchat. My research looked into how print and AR can work together. How print needs to pivot with technology but is still part of the process.
The results brought new experiences and adjusted the perspective of ‘Poster Design’ during the pandemic. In the current state of lack of travel and paper, the new curriculum was welcome and needed. My case study investigates the process of transforming the modularity of a print class into multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, and haptic. How shifting the perspective of the format can have the viewer not only see the poster but interact with it. How has the pandemic altered our print classes? Will print return or will print be a companion for AR experiences?