For Valentine’s Day, they have released a video to promote the Red Blooded notebook which has been recently added to the Field Notes standard product line.

The notebook becomes a love letter and is a very inspiring and beautiful example of the power of creative books and print.

QR CODE – Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo.

Prepare to feel really inadequate about your chosen resume font. This dude has fashioned a custom QR code resume that is sure to break up the monotony of any HR person’s day.

Made by Victor Petit — who was looking for an internship but recently scored one — this resume is reminiscent of band Cassius’s video and accompanying app [iTunes link] for “I Love You So.” It features a QR code in the middle of a picture of a face (on the back of a printed resume) that unlocks a video of the missing mouth on your phone.

“I realized during my previous job search that getting an interview at a communication agency is the hardest part of the process,” says Petit. “I tried to create a CV that would enable me to express myself vocally as soon as they read the paper version. The combination of a sheet of paper and a QR code felt like the best way to reach that goal.”

We’re not sure what exactly Petit’s skills are from the video alone — it has no sound — aside from being extremely awesome.

Brief Explanation:

A car calendar without cars! The calendar showed only high-quality landscape photos. In order to experience the cars, the user had to download an iPhone app. Using augmented reality, one could then bring out the cars onto the landscapes, with sounds, animations and all!

Describe the brief from the client:

The brief was to develop a calendar for Audi clients. The calendar should differ greatly from other car calendars and position Audi as innovative and modern.

Description of how you arrived at the final design:

When Audi introduces a car calendar, that calendar has to be just as innovative as the brand itself. Audi should not merely say “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Leading through technology) but prove it as well.

Brief Explanation:

A car calendar without cars! The calendar showed only high-quality landscape photos. In order to experience the cars, the user had to download an iPhone app. Using augmented reality, one could then bring out the cars onto the landscapes, with sounds, animations and all!

Describe the brief from the client:

The brief was to develop a calendar for Audi clients. The calendar should differ greatly from other car calendars and position Audi as innovative and modern.

Description of how you arrived at the final design:

When Audi introduces a car calendar, that calendar has to be just as innovative as the brand itself. Audi should not merely say “Vorsprung durch Technik” (Leading through technology) but prove it as well.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:

25,000 calendars were sent out. So far, the app has been downloaded 23,448 times. This means that most of the people who received a copy of the calendar have downloaded the app to experience “Vorsprung durch Technik” in a new dimension. Audi received numerous response mails from enthusiastic clients. Just one person obviously didn´t get it. He wrote an e-mail saying thank you for the lovely landscapes.

Advertising Agency: Neue Digitale/Razorfish , Germany

Managing Director: Sven Kuester, Sascha Martini

Creative Director: René Lamberti, Fabian Roser

Art Director: Kathrin Laser

Copywriter: Stephan Deisenhofer

Concept: Steffen Staeuber

Copywriter: Alexander Ardelean

Designer: Bartosz Elsner

Designer: Florian Uihlein

Interactive Designer: Jens Lembke, Julien Pietri

Programmer: Dennis Hantke, Dirk Tech

Technical Manager: Mathis Moder

Technical Director: Paul Schmidt

Account Manager: Kristina Klein, Dorte Luecker

Animator: David Loehr

Like every book, at the turn of each page comes content and illustration related to the subject of the story.

Unlike most books however, some of these pages contain  AR (augmented reality) markers, which when flashed towards the web cam, generates 3D interactive graphics on the computer screen. Readers can manipulate the graphics by rotating the book or camera!

Therefore Volkswagen created a phone app for readers of the print ad to download, so they could try it out for themselves, using the print ad to test drive.

Given the limited percentage of the NZ population with smart phones, do you think this would work in NZ?

Toys “R” Us Hong Kong has launched an iPhone app that integrates QR codes, content and rewards. The app is primarily intended for Hong Kong’s 700,000 Toys “R” Us Star Card loyalty program members. By scanning QR Codes (referred to as unlocking “R” codes) that can be found in the Toys “R” Us catalog, on their website, in-store and on posters users can view videos and accumulate rewards.

The QR Codes were assembled into the shapes of animals that live hidden in the city and posted all over the streets of Hong Kong.

Scanning the codes in the animals allowed users to read more information about a band and hear their music. They could also purchase the songs directly as well as share them on social media.

The campaign was considered a success by the volume of sharing on blogs and social networks and the fact that more than half of the 14 bands sold out their albums within the first week.

The video below shows elements of the campaign with an English commentary, starting at the 30sec mark.

Marketers and technology innovators have done some very interesting examples of AR for the home market, using symbols printed locally which are then placed in front of your PC’s web camera.

AR is now also being developed for retail displays and mobile phones.

Here are some quick examples from these three AR forums:

AR @ home

Magazine publishers have already started using AR to enhance their readers’ experience, albeit to mixed reviews. Magazines have included Esquire, Popular Science and USA Today (whose back cover featured a Harry Potter Augmented Reality map).

AR enabled locations

Lego installed AR retail kiosks in all of their LEGO brand stores worldwide. This let their consumers reveal a virtually built-up and fully animated LEGO product by holding the package up to the DIGITAL BOX.

AR in your pocket

AR applications are being written for the iPhone, Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms.

Their uses have involved product promotions, educational information, outdoor advertising and location based services.

FAQ’s

Metaio, a company that develops AR projects for the European market shared this information in a webinar last week:

• Some AR promotions require the home PC user to download a specific program, install it and then run it to get their AR experience. This is too much to ask of your @ home market.
• The best way to promote AR for the home market is to make sure your AR application makes use of the existing Adobe Flash and Shockwave platforms prevalent in over 96% of all PC’s.
• Allow a 4 – 6 week time line for the software development of your AR promotion. This is dependant on the complexity of the job though.
• Currently allow a budget with a starting price of around US$50,000.

I would expect this price to drop as technology improves and AR becomes more readily available.