Snapchat
and the Lemur Conservation Foundation.
The Design Challenge
The design challenge I was faced with was how to engage the younger audience in an AR experience with Snap Lens Studio’s new AR technologies.
As this project developed, I heard about the Lemur Conservation Foundation and their goal to spread awareness of the endangerment of the lemur species. I found that Snapchat would be a great outlet to spread this information. Having an audience of over 108 million users, creating a fun and interactive AR lens would be a great way to engage and inform.
Before diving into things, research is always such a crucial step. Before developing concepts, I took a look at our world today and what’s going on. COVID-19 has greatly affected everyone and how the world works today. Keeping this in mind, I aimed to conceptualize ideas that could aid us in this new way of life.
Next, thinking about the Lemur Conservation Foundation, their goal was to share the joy and beauty of lemurs, while also informing about the species endangerment. I started by researching all the different kinds of lemurs. Each lemur has their own unique characteristics and features. Through the use of an AR Snapchat filter lens, I wanted to highlight their amazing features.
The Process
Lemurs!
A Sifaka Lemur.
A Mouse Lemur.
An Aye-Aye Lemur.
These are some of the lemurs I researched and included in the Lemur Lens. Its impossible to look at them and be sad, trust me, I’ve tried.
A Ring-Tailed Lemur.
A Red Ruffed Lemur.
Development
After gathering research and taking into consideration what is being asked, concept development begins. Some things I reflected on for Snapchat was what our world looked like today. COVID has greatly affected us all, so I explored a lens that could spread love and joy and one that could help reduce stress. For the Lemur Conservation, I wanted to explore ways to engage the viewer while also providing information about lemurs!
The chosen one
The Final look
Challenges
Snap Lens Studio and the world of AR technologies was completely new to me before starting this project. Although it looked intimidating at first, sometimes you just have to dive in. Looking at Snap Lens templates, I was able to pick apart and piece together the lemur lens. Randomizing everything and then getting each piece to line up was very challenging, and I actually wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of my friend, Kevyn Thomas.
