Last week, we had the opportunity to attend an eye-opening workshop with Playbound, an Augmented Reality (AR) studio based in Milton Keynes, as part of Milton Keynes Tech Week. The session, ‘Posters That Move’ led by Sam Guilmard, explored the exciting world of AR and how it can be used to create interactive, immersive experiences.

The workshop gave us a fascinating look at how AR technology has evolved in recent years. Sam covered the different types of AR, shared real-world examples of his work, and guided us through creating our own AR posters. It was inspiring to see how far the technology has come and to consider how we can integrate AR into our own creative projects.

• AR is now more accessible than ever. Web-hosted apps mean viewers can simply scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag to access content, removing previous barriers caused by platform-specific apps.
• Playbound has applied AR in marketing for clients like Disney, creating a moving halo of sparkles around the Aladdin logo to promote the theatre show.
• Local projects, such as interactive beer mats for a brewery launch, show AR’s potential to engage audiences in unique, tangible ways.
  

One of the most exciting prospects for AR is the development of AR glasses, like Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses. Imagine a world where AR content is streamed directly through your glasses, removing the need for a phone entirely. While AR faces the challenge of finding meaningful use cases beyond novelty, the potential for engagement and storytelling is enormous.

‍

The Playbound workshop was a brilliant insight into the future of AR and its practical applications in marketing, design, and beyond. As the technology becomes more accessible and immersive, we’re excited to explore how we can bring these experiences to life in our own work.

‍