Delivering CGI - The timeline and journey of a brief
CGI, otherwise known as computer generated imagery is an efficient and visually effective way of creating realistic imagery that you’re able to use to showcase your products and give your customers an inspirational shopping experience. This is a service that is provided by our Fixtuur Studio team and is something we’ve had the pleasure of doing for many well known brands. It’s a fun and immersive way of bringing your ideas to life whilst giving your customers inspirational content to help them make informed decisions when shopping with you.
So, you’ve decided that CGI imagery is something that you’re interested in, but feel daunted about the process or implementation of this on your site? Well as Fixtuur’s personal Interior designer I am here to help you understand exactly what the CGI creation process looks like so you can get excited about starting your journey with us.
During the process of creating your CGI imagery I’ll be your main point of contact from first conversation through to delivery. As an interior designer it’s my role to live and breathe the ever-changing world of interiors. I stay on top of current trends and seek out emerging styles, whilst also re-visiting classic and timeless aesthetics along the way. By always being on top of what’s happening in the industry I can help our clients create content that is visually stunning and impactful, so you can attract the attention of potential customers and get ahead of the competition.
So with that said, lets take a deep dive into the world of CGI creation and explore how close (and creative) collaboration between me, you and our wider Studio team brings your products to life in new and exciting ways.
Step 1. Understanding your brand, needs and goals
The road to CGI imagery starts with a conversation. It's important for me to get to know your needs and vision as a brand so we can create imagery that’s perfect for you and your customers. In this conversation I’ll get an understanding of your brand's vision, and your customers’ journey, so we can begin to build a strong partnership and create imagery that suits the desires of your client base and pushes your products further.
When we chat you might already have a concept in mind, and if you do - that’s great! We can get started even faster. But if you’re looking to explore options and get creative, we’ll do a full design consultation where we will work together to create a scheme that is tailored to your specific products and themes so we can establish the overall look you’d like to portray.
Alongside this consultation process I'll also provide you with a simple list of our requirements for creating your project - these requirements help us understand the product skus you want to showcase as well as to gather any initial ideas you have.
Step 2. Starting the build
Armed with your products and insights it’s time for me to go away and start to build your initial core scene model as well as a carefully curated vision board of materials and styling products that we can use alongside your selected products.
During this step I’ll choose materials and design room scenes that I feel will compliment the overall theme and style of your vision and products. For example, for a traditional bathroom range I may opt to design a Georgian style bathroom, whereas for a modern sofa I may choose to create a modern loft apartment reminiscent of something you’d see in New York.
This part of the process is extremely collaborative and the aim is to tick as many of your boxes as possible as well as adding in some of my own creative flair. It’s also a great opportunity to really understand your brand and build you a tailored design board that reflects the overall experience and vision we’ve discussed so we can reflect the vision you’re selling to your customer.
Even better, this process gives you a strong understanding of what the final imagery will look like in terms of styling and materiality. Whilst you don’t have a final render at this point (that’s coming next) you will have a simple black and white core model to demonstrate what the basis of your design looks like with examples of additional products and materials that I have selected for you. At this point we can return to the table and discuss the design and if there is anything you’d like to change, we can amend and proceed to the next step…
Step 3: Modelling
And the next step is modelling! Now that you’re happy I'll send the core scene to our super talented 3D artists who will take your vision and bring it to life in 3D. At this stage, camera angles and lighting can be collaborated on to ensure you end up with a stunning set of imagery.
With everything in place our team will then create initial drafts which will be sent to you for review. If there is anything that you feel needs to be amended, we are able to do this to ensure your content is perfect on delivery.
This is such an exciting part of the project because not only does it allow you the ability to perfectly showcase your product, but it also lets you see the many different ways that your products can work inside of a space. Our talented artists have the ability to make your vision come to life incorporating the perfect lighting setups, angles and textures to create a completely life-like look which is always better than expected!
Step 4. Delivery
Once you give our team the thumbs up and you’re happy with the layout of your draft renders, a set of final renders will be created in high resolution. We will package everything up and send them to you at which point it’s over to you to get them in place across all your touchpoints and in front of your customers!
As you can see the whole process from start to finish is collaborative and led by your brand and your vision. By working in this manner we ensure the content we build for you is perfect for your business and your customers.
So why not book a quick discovery call with us today and learn more about CGI and it’s ability to elevate your products and shopping journey to new heights, click the link below to book a discovery call with one of our team.