The Use of 3D Visualisation in Advertising

This is surely the age of technology based information, we are utterly surrounded by it, moreover, we are deeply and inextricably part of it; sharing information on the numerous blogs Home Remodeling Before And After and the cacophony of social media outlets. Advertising firms are well aware of society’s ever-growing need to access immediate information and they tap into it relentlessly.
We are engulfed by advertising every minute of everyday, some get lost in the bland fog of imagery pumped out by the advertising machine, but on occasion there are a few glimmering moments that shine through and succeed in their purpose; grabbing our attention.
In an attempt to stand out from the crowd, advertising agencies are increasingly employing the talents of creative design agencies and firms to help produce much more engaging means to communicate their message and products. One very common approach is the use of 3D Visualisation in advertising. For some, this is a bad case of using technology for technology’s sake, instead of taking the message and using the most viable and effective means to communicate it.
When used right, there are some very advantageous reasons for the use of 3D Visualisation in advertising. Logistics is the first that springs to mind. To overcome the burden, cost and planning of a photo-shoot on the far side of the globe, entire 3D scenes can be produced and through the use of compositing and green screen technology, actors or products can, in the right hands, be easily positioned within.
That idea can quite literally be taken much further and used to create 3D Visuals of new and exotic worlds Red Door Homes Financing and planets, for example the Carling ‘space nightclub’ advert, or the O2 ‘thinking of you campaign’.
The use of 3D Visualisation in advertising does not always have to be about the creation of new or exotic settings; We are seeing an increasing surge of advertising that uses 3D visuals of products, either because the product is has not been released for mass production, or to show animated inner workings in a way that real life never could. This ‘hyper real’ approach, I personally believe, a much more effective and astute reason for using 3D visuals in an advertising campaign. It is using the technology for a concrete reason, solving a real problem (for example: ‘how do I show the moving inner mechanics of a combustion engine using live recording methods?’).
Evolve this further and we begin to touch on the creative realm of advertising. Take Honda, Audi or Guinness’ advertising. All three employ the skills and creative flair of designers, 3D modellers and animators to create a dynamic mix of 3D visuals and live action, or exclusively 3D visualisation’s on their own to produce exciting, fresh approaches to showing their product, or the end-user experience.
Of course, most of what I have mentioned above is based on screen-based examples. The use of 3D visualisation in advertising is also prevalent in print campaigns. To me this is a less intrusive approach, and as with the screen based examples, does not have to simply serve the purpose of displaying a product. Print based advertising seems to allow 3D visuals to merge and sit in more natural harmony, rendered 3D objects and shapes can be used as graphical elements, or allow typography to take on a braver and bolder (no pun intended) persona.
The use of 3D Visualisation in advertising is here to stay, and with new emerging technologies like Augmented Reality and WebGL the use of 3D visuals is going to increase. We will see some inspiring and breathtaking developments but brace yourselves, because before that, it is inevitable that there will be a blinding swarm of pointless, vapid and banal manifestations as some companies clamber over each other like an army of crabs trying to stick their claws in and use the technology just because it is there.