Maith: my experiences producing a logo for AR

Maith logo test. Like all screen captures in this article, no Photoshop, and taken directly from iPhone 11 Pro Max + ACO 3D app. The colors lack the vibrancy of the original design. Concept by David Bothwell/Hybrid. 3D realization by Andrew Haugen/Novaby, with further refinement by the team at XR Masters. GeoPose-based spatial AR created on the Augmented.City platform. (The yellow card above the logo is another test for the upcoming soda bread exhibition.)

Maith, also called Maith AR, is the world’s first permanent AR exhibition space. It is located within the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans. To see the AR works in Maith, visitors need a free download, the AC0–3D, developed by Augmented.City. The AR exhibits are permanent and can be seen by many users at the same time. The exhibits are based on GeoPose, a standard regulated by the OARC(Open Augmented Reality Cloud), a volunteer organization committed to a global, location-based AR Cloud that is open and ethical.

This post shares the lessons learned while making the Maith logo, a process not yet concluded.

The Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans. In the back, on the other side of the courtyard, is the Saint Patrick’s Coffee House. The coffee house, the courtyard and the museum lounge will all be used for Maith exhibitions. On Saint Patrick’s Day 2021, an AR leprechaun danced along the top of the bar in the coffeehouse. (Thank you, Mad Marker!) Work is currently underway for an exhibition on Irish Soda Bread, which will be in the Museum Lounge. (In the photo, the doorway to the Museum Lounge is closest to the street.)

Needing a strong logo that would, literally, be attractive on many levels, I contacted David Bothwell of Hybrid, a Hong Kong-based design firm. I felt that Hybrid’s “international” style, combined with David’s familiarity with Ireland would result in a logo that would reference the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans, yet would have an identity of its own.

I gave David almost no briefing except to say that, although Maith is now located within the Irish Cultural Museum, in the future it could exist in many places, even simultaneously. Thus, the Maith AR logo would also need to function as a template into which other location names could be inserted.

David’s response consisted of three pages. Here is one:

The next step was to add depth, as AR is, fundamentally, about 3D space. After an exchange of emails, David received my sketches:

Bubiko was added as a bit of promotion. I co-created Bubiko with Sayuri Okayama, as a way for us to explore AR. You are invited to follow Bubiko’s adventures on Instagram. As for the logo, the next version will have a sharper and shorter 3D distance to the vanishing point. It will likely be defocused; more testing will be needed.

Until this project, Hybrid had only worked in 2D. Because of our very tight schedule, we decided to bring in Novaby, a company with experience in 3D and AR.

What follows is the work done by Andrew Haugen/Novaby, some with fine-tuning by the team at XR Masters.

A useful test. The front of the letters will need to be tweaked so that they stand out from their 3D “tubes”. A good example of the fact that the logo will often be seen from an angle other than “straight on”. Finally, the oval shadow underneath the logo needs to be given some thought. At present it is baked in, as it is an interface for controlling the size/rotation of the digital object it is associated with.

Another angle. How would this work as an animation? A wonderful thing: there is no “saw toothing” on the edges of the logo; they are clean and smooth. We also did a video test which was shocking with its clarity.

After refinements, a version of this will also be used for print and video. Tee shirts! (All with an AR component, of course.)

Logo + 3D model test of soda bread by Scandy + XR Masters. Soda bread consultation and creation by Chef Susanna Sharp-Johnson. One of the challenges for Maith is how to position digital objects so that those who are simply enjoying the museum, courtyard and/or coffeehouse are not disturbed by those looking at the “invisible” exhibition. Consideration must also be given to the location itself, especially lighting.

I am extremely thankful to David/Hybrid, Novaby and XR Masters for the great work they did in a very limited time. I had only two days in New Orleans to prepare for, install and document the tests for the upcoming exhibition about Irish Soda Bread, including the logo. I would also like to thank the OARC for their continued support. Finally, Maith would not be possible without the technical support and patient advice of the team at Augmented.City.

As for the dancing leprechaun that was the inaugural exhibition at Maith, motion capture specialists Mad Marker made it happen.

Although their support may not be visible in these images, I would also like to thank: Book Merah, Aunt Suzie’s Catering, Breads on Oak, Flamingo Filters, Six Cats Studios, On Site Viewer, and the family of Mary Ann and Maurice Buckley.

onwARd!

sb

related:

The Irish Soda Bread Exhibition at Maith: Augmented Reality; Harshest Reality (part 1)

The Irish Soda Bread Exhibition at Maith: Augmented Reality; Harshest Reality (part 2)

What is Spatial Cinema?