K18 Virtual Experience — Jess LaFrance | Graphic Designer & Visual Artist

Jess LaFrance

Graphic Designer & Visual Artist

Film
Editorial
Commercial

K18 Virtual Experience
Senior Project Designer
(2023-2024)

Creative Director across four design and content updates for the K18 Virtual Experience. These refreshes included the K18 Bus with both Hair Oil Fun Zone and Damage Shield Room activations, going into the Hair Fiber, and the K18 PRO Salon with Biotech Breakroom. A majority of the experiential updates were based on in-person pop-up events, and it was a pleasure working with the K18 team to digitize these temporary displays to live forever in an immersive virtual world.

My contribution as Senior Project Designer also included working with 3D designer, Julian Chow, on the experience’s creative direction; with the product team on managing and curating interactive content (hotspot placement, navigation flows, advanced content implementation, gamification) throughout all four refreshes of the experience; as well as creating marketing asset packages for K18’s social platforms.

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001. Concept Art

(2024)

i. PRO Salon Exterior

As the final visual update for the experience, this one would be completely original to the virtual experience as it was not based on any of K18’s previous pop-ups or campaign moments. The objective was to include a third main area to the experience that would act as the brand’s digital flagship salon, specifically with resources intended for certified professionals. The style guide for the exterior was simple, sleek, and had to immediately read as property of K18 with the signature black and white accompanied by a pop-of-color gradient.

First Phase

Second Phase

Early Mockup of the K18 PRO Salon Exterior

Final Mockup of the K18 PRO Salon Exterior

3D Render
Julian Chow

Final Render of the K18 PRO Salon Exterior

ii. PRO Salon Interior

↳ Lava Dome

For the interior, we wanted to continue leveraging the logistical freedom of a digital environment. Being clinical on the outside and beyond expectation on the inside is largely the essence of K18’s products, in addition to being science-based and gravity-defying. Having the creative freedom and trust of our brand partners that I did, I pitched an idea for the interior to have a surrounding dome similar to an aquarium but with a lava lamp texture. To support my vision, I took photos of my pink lava lamp that I personally own and cherish, and I crafted a mockup in which I composited the texture of my lamp into an early render of the PRO Salon interior space. To my absolute delight, the K18 team enthusiastically approved and thought that the concept perfectly aligned with the ethos of their brand.

Early Mockup pitch for the “Lava Dome” in the K18 PRO Salon Interior

3D Render
Julian Chow

Early Render of the “Lava Dome” in the K18 PRO Salon Interior

Final Render of the “Lava Dome” in the K18 PRO Salon Interior

ii. PRO Salon Interior (cont.)

↳ Style & Color

Based on image references provided by the client, I put together a mood board for the interior and altered some of the client’s images for 3D designer, Julian, to use as visual guidance during the rendering process. I was also able to bring curation into the content management space by designing the layout of bulletin board graphics within a proprietary CMS.

Concept
Jess LaFrance

3D Render
Julian Chow

Early Mockup concepting the K18 PRO Salon Interior styling station

Final Render of the K18 PRO Salon Interior styling “transformation” station

Designed the bulletin board layout in the Biotech Breakroom

002. Marketing Assets

(2023)

Distributed marketing asset packages during the initial launch of the K18 Virtual Experience. These content bundles would be complimentary to the client for social adverstising, also including high-quality image stills of the experience varied by aspect ratio.

Social Video for the initial launch of the K18 Virtual Experience

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