Billy Blue uses AR to help school leavers start their adventure into design in new platform via SomeOne, VCCP Sydney and Unbnd

School leavers are now able to consider their study options by venturing inside various worlds brought to life through Augmented Reality, with a new platform that has transformed the traditional college course guide.

Sydney’s renowned design college has partnered with creative agencies SomeOne, VCCP and AR specialists Unbnd to reimagine how prospective students engage with them when considering where to study. Together they conceptualized and built a radical new take on the traditional prospectus approach to promotion.

As students determine their study preferences, those wanting to learn more about courses in Branded Fashion, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Gaming, Artificial Intelligence and Programming are invited to Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia’s Start Your Adventure web-based Augmented Reality (AR) experience.

Says Tom Dabner, creative director at SomeOne: “As far as we can see, this is the first of its kind in the world. A unique experience that showcases the increasing convergence of design and technology and allows users to explore the range of design and creative technology courses on offer at the College.”

To-date, more than 8,000 people have participated in the experience, which visualizes the available courses as 3D worlds explored through AR using either an iOS or Android device. Through AR, users can explore a branded fashion studio, see an interior design concept showroom come to life, and witness the skills honed in communication and graphic design. Each zone features a selection of work from students past and present who have gone on to do needle shifting work across industries.

Users activate the experience from the (printed) Billy Blue course guide (scanning the front cover’s QR code), online, or from multiple advertising billboards across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The campaign is also supported online by a TikTok ad & influencer engagement campaign which has already generated close to 1m views.

Says Paul Brafield, general manager, design and creative technology at Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia: “Through insight and ideation workshops with more than 100 collaborators, including current students, staff and agencies, it became very clear that one of the best ways to engage with people was to show them what was possible if they study with us at Billy Blue.”

Says Beth Duddy, CX director, VCCP: “AR advertising is on the cusp of a boom (growing from $5.1Billion to $198 Billion USD by 2025!) and it’s no wonder, it offers a much more immersive and emotive experience that really captures users’ attention in a memorable way… it’s really exciting that we can play in the field, and potentially grow the experience in the future.”

The Start Your Adventure AR experience is built on Zappar. Zappar’s webAR product is integrated in a webGL environment using a JavaScript library called ThreeJS built on WebGL. WebAR development involves creating real-time lightweight, low-poly 3D assets and animations to ensure the experience is lightweight enough to be delivered over mobile networks, ensuring the experience is not too processor intensive for the wide range of smartphone devices in-market.

WebAR is an innovative and immersive way to engage potential students that utilises the same technologies now available to study at Billy Blue within the experience itself.

To experience the Start Your Adventure Augmented Reality experience, go to: https://start-your-adventure.torrens.billyblue.edu.au/

For more information on Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia, go to: https://www.billyblue.edu.au/

Concept, user experience and design: SomeOne & VCCP
Beth Duddy: CX Director, VCCP
Tom Dabner: Creative Director & Partner, SomeOne
Rosie Brennan: Managing Partner, SomeOne
Romelle Menezes: Lead Designer, SomeOne
Julien Bertouille: Senior Designer, SomeOne

AR design and build: Unbnd
David Loughnan: Managing Partner
Dominique Cama: Lead Immersive Producer
Erik Bernacchi: UX & 3D Lead
Josh Cole: 3D Artist
Jimmie Friberg: Technical Lead
Ben Carr: WebGL and Zappar Integration
Zan Savic: WebGL and Front-end
Josh Parisi: Creative

Billy Blue College of Design
Jake Troncone, Marketing Executive — Design & Creative Technology
Christine Thomson, Senior Marketing Manager, Design & Creative Technology
Rion Shelley, Head of Brand, Segment & International