Urbana rock festival mark-and-augmented-reality filter

Creating an Instagram Filter for Urbana Rock: A Step-by-Step Journey into Augmented Reality

As an augmented reality (AR) creator, I recently had the exciting opportunity to design an Instagram filter for Urbana Rock, an alternative music festival that celebrates genres outside the mainstream. From concept to completion, this project pushed the limits of creativity and technology, as it included two essential components: a selfie marker and AR animations triggered by the festival logo. Here’s an inside look into the process, challenges, and rewards of creating an Instagram filter for Urbana Rock.

Getting Started: Understanding the Vision for Urbana Rock's Instagram Filter

Urbana Rock wanted a filter that would truly embody the festival’s edgy, urban aesthetic and appeal to its music-loving audience. The initial brief highlighted two primary goals for the filter:

Selfie Mark: An overlay or frame that fans could use to snap a festival-branded selfie, no matter where they were.

Logo-Triggered AR Effects: AR effects that would activate whenever the user pointed their camera at the Urbana Rock logo. This would add an extra layer of interaction and immersion, giving fans a new way to engage with the festival.

With these objectives in mind, I started brainstorming how to create a cohesive design that captured the festival’s alternative vibe while maximizing engagement on Instagram.

Designing the Selfie Mark

The selfie mark would be the first element users encountered when they selected the Urbana Rock Instagram filter. I wanted it to be instantly recognizable, visually striking, and true to the aesthetic of the festival.

Key Design Choices:

• Color Scheme: Urbana Rock’s branding leans into darker tones, so I chose a palette of deep purples, blacks, and greys with a touch of neon to create a grungy, urban feel.

• Text & Iconography: I incorporated bold, graffiti-inspired fonts for the festival name, along with iconography like vinyl records and guitars.

• Placement: To make the filter versatile for selfies and group photos, the mark was positioned around the frame’s edges, leaving the center open for users’ faces.

Using Spark AR Studio (a key tool for building Instagram filters), I tested several iterations to ensure the mark wouldn’t overwhelm the photo but still conveyed a distinct Urbana Rock vibe.

Creating AR Effects for the Logo

The second part of the filter added a unique challenge: creating AR effects that would activate when users pointed their cameras at the Urbana Rock logo. This was an excellent way to bring the festival's physical brand elements into the digital space.

Steps in the AR Design Process:

1. Logo Recognition Setup: In Spark AR, I uploaded an image of the Urbana Rock logo and set it as the trigger for the AR animation. I used the platform’s target tracking tool to ensure the filter would reliably recognize the logo from different angles.

Testing and Optimizing the Instagram Filter for Urbana Rock

After building the initial version of the Instagram filter, it was time for testing. I ran multiple tests on different devices, lighting conditions, and environments to ensure the logo recognition and selfie mark were responsive and smooth. The biggest challenge was ensuring the filter would trigger accurately even in dim lighting, common at music festivals.

Launching and Promoting the Filter on Instagram

Once the filter was finalized, Urbana Rock planned a social media campaign to promote it. By encouraging festival-goers to use the filter in their posts and stories, the filter became a shareable way to build excitement around the event.

Final Thoughts on Creating an Instagram Filter for Urbana Rock

Designing this Instagram filter was an exciting journey that combined graphic design, animation, and augmented reality. It was a challenge but also a rewarding experience to bring Urbana Rock’s brand to life in such a dynamic way. If you’re considering creating an Instagram filter for an event, I’d recommend focusing on interactive, branded elements that users can engage with and share.

In the world of AR, the possibilities are endless, and creating filters that blend the real and digital worlds opens up new ways to connect with audiences.