Meptik Trips Out On Notch

MEPTIK is an Atlanta-based production and design studio specialized in custom design for live environments. It wanted to use the power of real-time for interactivity, but didn't want to have to learn a whole new workflow. The company discovered what's possible creatively, and found something even more valuable ... time.

When MEPTIK was invited to design the 2017 booth for Drunk Elephant Skincare, for the Sephora SDCA Brand Fair, it took things back, way back. Back to the LSD fuelled 60s hippie era.

The team created one giant trip, with brightly colored graphics displayed on a series of 2mm LED walls that came to life -- everything was real-time and interactive, powered by Notch, a real-time workflow for production of video content, live visual effects, VR and interactive experiences.

The company says that if you remember the 60s you weren't really there, but this experience was something it knew participants wouldn't forget in a hurry, and #nobadtrips

The acid test -- how important was real-time?

"Notch was the backbone of this project. It was the first full project at MEPTIK that we asked ourselves, 'Could we treat this as a motion design project, but make it in Notch?'"

The project began as all motion design projects do at MEPTIK, with Sarah Linebaugh, creative director, designing style frames and mood boards for the direction of the content. Joshua Eason, MEPTIK's interactive designer, then saw the opportunity to use Notch on the execution side as an alternative to traditional motion-design tools.

Linebaugh explains: "By approaching the project as we would with a typical 2-D and 3-D motion design workflow, we were able to deliver what our client was wanting and expecting -- visuals that met the needs of their brand and style guides. However, using Notch allowed us to take the project a step further by adding real-time interactivity."

Through the use of three Microsoft Kinects, the team was able to add full interactivity to the design, giving participants the ability to see themselves interact with an immersive environment.

Linebaugh says, "Notch allows us to use the existing motion design workflows that our team and clients are already familiar with, but gives us the power to take our content to the next level. Making things happen in real time saves hours of rendering, but more than that, it shifts our designs from being flat elements on a screen to full interactive experiences."

Video: https://vimeo.com/236315846