Prada Beauty Augmented Experience — Jess LaFrance | Graphic Designer & Visual Artist

Jess LaFrance

Graphic Designer & Visual Artist

Film
Editorial
Commercial

Prada Beauty Augmented Experience
Senior Project Designer
(2022-2024)

Creative Director, Visual Strategist, and Experience Designer throughout the lifespan of this ever-expanding brand universe. What began as a virtual campaign for Prada Beauty‘s signature Paradoxe fragrance and a gamified activation for the Luna Rossa fragrance soon led to the beautiful metamorphosis into the Pradaverse expansion, all contributing to the formation of what is now the Augmented Experience.

My full contribution as Senior Project Designer included the implementation of interactive hotspots and navigation flows, advanced content management, configuration of experiential tooltips, the creation of UI elements, collaborating with brand partners on forming the vision for the project, working with internal teams to produce concept art mockups, directing the 3D design team to bring the approved concepts to fruition, and curating marketing asset packages of custom promotional material for Prada Beauty to share on their social platforms.

Scroll to bottom for more.

001. Paradoxe

The Paradoxe microverse imagined a typical Prada Beauty pop-up event as a miniature virtual world, revolving around the signature Paradoxe fragrance bottle and its triangular shape. The vision was to have the user be transported inside the bottle as if it were a dollhouse via QR code (complimentary with a physical purchase), allowing them to traverse the ethos of the product and its campaign across three rooms: Fragrance, Campaign, and Bottle.

i. Concept Art

(2022)

↳ Fragrance Room

Formerly known as the Ingredient Room, the Fragrance Room was always envisioned to be an immersive exploration of each of Paradoxe’s three main ingredients: Neroli, Amber, and Musk.

First Phase

Very early concepts largely based on prototype images. The Prada Beauty team was set on the idea of getting lost in Paradoxe’s individual fragrance notes, so I pitched three ways we could satisfy that in a virtual experience: stepping into another realm via portal, taking a peak into another world via window, or being fully immersed via animated panoramic view. Notice the unwavering dedication to the iconic Prada green walls and checkerboard floor combination.

Fragrance Room v1 Mockup #1: Portal

Fragrance Room v1 Mockup #2: Window

Fragrance Room v1 Mockup #3: Panoramic View

Second Phase

Here, I began pulling more visual inspiration from Prada Beauty’s pop-up event imagery and retail display guides for the Paradoxe campaign, such as the triangular screen displays, sleek black Prada podiums, and the geometric neon signs. The concept of the mockup initially proposed the idea of each ingredient having its own little world accessible through the triangle displays acting as portals (represented in the floor plans). Soon after, the concept was dialed back slightly regarding the fantastical elements, rather contemplating the idea of displaying each ingredient like a museum artifact with animated supporting visuals looping behind on the screen displays. This concept partially would be repurposed in the final version of the Campaign Room instead of the Fragrance Room.

Fragrance Room v2 Mockup: Screen Displays with Podium

Third Phase (Final)

The final set of concept mockups pulled from and featured official Paradoxe promotional imagery that had been produced in real-time by Prada Beauty. We continued to roll with this exhibition-style layout, featuring the triangular displays now encasing the raw materials of each ingredient. I played around with the idea of window displays instead of podiums for the ingredients as well as Paradoxe bottle mosaics, and while the Paradoxe bottle tower did not end up inhabiting the Fragrance Room, it would be used in the final version of the Bottle Room instead.

Fragrance Room v3 Mockup #1: Raw Material Displays (bordered)

Fragrance Room v3 Mockup #2: Raw Material Displays (natural)

Fragrance Room v3 Mockup #3: Bottle Tower with Mosaics

Fragrance Room v3 Mockup #4: Bottle Tower with Displays and Windows

Fragrance Room v3 Mockup #5: Raw Material Displays and Windows

3D Render
ARES Studio | Julian Chow

Early Render of the Fragrance Room

Final Render of the Fragrance Room

Floor Plans

Initial layout options I had designed to accompany the concept mockups from the 2nd phase onward. In later renditions of the Fragrance Room, the final decision was to take the raw materials (natural) approach for the ingredient displays. They would be lined up on one wall in the Fragrance Room in order to allocate the space with the other content in the room.

Fragrance Room Floor Plan #1: Corners

Fragrance Room Floor Plan #2: Middle

i. Concept Art

(cont.)

↳ Campaign Room

Formerly known as the Theater Room, the Campaign Room would act as the panoramic theatre where all Paradoxe campaign films would be accessible. This dedicated space was especially important with Emma Watson making her directorial debut on these films as the global ambassador for Prada Beauty during Paradoxe’s launch.

First Phase

In contrast with the Fragrance Room’s use of Prada green, my earliest concept for the Campaign Room was entirely Prada pink with the returning geometric neon signs. The mockups depict a hypothetical seating area in the space with a rotation of central wall designs that would share focus with the curved panoramic screen. I was in the process of fine-tuning the balance between fun and sleek, and would find alternative ways to incorporate the two.

Campaign Room v1 Mockup #1: Screen

Campaign Room v1 Mockup #2: Sign

Campaign Room v1 Mockup #3: Screen and Signs

Campaign Room v1 Mockup #4: Global Sign with Mosaic

Second Phase (Final)

The visual consistency of Prada green with the checkerboard flooring became increasingly important, which did trickle into the final product with these design elements characterizing a majority of the experience. Ultimately, it was decided to make the final version of the Campaign Room sleek black to guarantee focus on the video content. The triangle displays, curved panoramic screen, and mosaic did make the final cut as well.

Campaign Room v2 Mockup #1: Screen Displays with Sign

Campaign Room v2 Mockup #2: Screen Displays with Mosaic

3D Render
ARES Studio | Julian Chow

Early Render of the Campaign Room

Final Render of the Campaign Room

002. Luna Rossa

i. Concept Art

(2022)

The Luna Rossa gamified activation continued to test the waters of the truly boundless nature of a virtual experience, debuting as a fully animated shoppable space and a VR mini-game taking place on the Luna Rossa sailboat featured in the Jake Gyllenhaal campaign film.

First Phase

As the successor of Paradoxe in the Prada Beauty Augmented universe, my original concept for a Luna Rossa virtual environment was on the more traditional side as an interior space. I translated the product’s masculine and noir aesthetic into a polished cabin submerged by the ocean, the signature red stripe and water droplet motifs included to spice up product and content display.

Luna Rossa v1 Mockup: Interior

Second Phase (Desktop)

Moving outdoors, I pivoted with my concepts and created an image directly inspired by the product campaign with the Luna Rossa sailboat. I also took a page from Paradoxe’s book and included visual indicators of Luna Rossa’s fragrance notes as if they were splashing onto the boat from a wild wave. The water droplet overlay is a detail I included for an extra layer of immersion, taking into consideration the user’s point-of-view through a screen.

Luna Rossa v2 Mockup #1: Exterior, Bottle with Bergamot (desktop)

Luna Rossa v2 Mockup #2: Exterior, Bottle with Grapefruit (desktop)

Second Phase (Mobile)

Alternative concepts for mobile consideration that swap out the ingredients for more fantastical moon elements, another brand signifier of Luna Rossa.

Luna Rossa v2 Mockup #1: Exterior, Bottle (mobile)

Luna Rossa v2 Mockup #2: Exterior, Bottle with Moon Glow (mobile)

Third Phase

At this point in the ideation, the game objective was that the player would steer the Luna Rossa sailboat through checkpoints while collecting ingredients along the way. I interpreted the checkpoints as giant red strips of light paired with red Prada buoys with both branding and visibility in mind. Needless to say, I watched many clips of Italian sailboat racing while creating these concepts.

Luna Rossa v3 Mockup: Gameplay Checkpoint with Buoys

Fourth Phase (Final)

This was essentially an unused concept for all content in the Luna Rossa virtual experience being accessible via portals, such as the mini-game and ingredient visualizer. The branded red stripe would be a wayfinder for guiding the player, and the portals resemble my checkpoint design from the previous concept. This idea would only work if the sailboat was being controlled by the player at all times in the experience, and the mini-game ended up being reworked as an item collection quest instead.

Luna Rossa v4 Mockup #1: Exterior, Game Portal with Wayfinder

Luna Rossa v4 Mockup #2: Exterior, Ingredient Portal with Wayfinder

3D Render
John Cates

Final Render of the Luna Rossa Exterior

ii. Marketing Assets

(2023)

Video content that I created and provided for the client with the intent of teasing, revealing, or providing updates for the experience. In the interest of consistency, it was important for me to match the intensity of the campaign film as that was the world we were expanding upon with this gamified activation.

Teaser Video for an early version of the Luna Rossa gamified activation (desktop)

Trailer Video for the official launch of the Luna Rossa gamified activation (mobile)

003. Pradaverse

The Pradaverse launched to accompany the debut of Prada Beauty’s inaugural makeup and skincare catalog, Prada Color and Skin under the Rethinking Beauty campaign. It was textured with themes of tech-infusion, scientific enhancement, creative freedom, and fashion-forwardness. Adapting to the virtual experience had come very naturally to Prada Beauty’s brand, and this campaign was simply made for it. The activation would include another set of three rooms: Reveal, Color, and Skin.

i. Concept Art

(2022)

↳ Reveal Room

The Prada Reveal product is the skin optimizing foundation, part of the overall Prada Skin line. Due to its wide range of shades, as well as skin and sustainability benefits, it was the staple item of the campaign and was always planned to have its own room. With the 3-room triangular floor plan of the Pradaverse and because of the namesake, the Reveal Room would bridge the gap between the other rooms and serve as the first stop for users.

First Phase (Final)

This concept was the stepping-off point for me with the Pradaverse. I had already grown very familiar with the Prada green and checkerboard floor combination, and here I was getting to know new patterns and imagery from this campaign that I would soon become just as familiar with. The Reveal Room would see many design iterations after this point.

Reveal Room Mockup

i. Concept Art

(cont.)

↳ Color Room

The Color Room is defined by the Prada Monochrome lip products and Prada Dimensions eyeshadow palettes. Each of the two have a strong sense of personality with their bold, individualized branding and appearance. In crafting an immersive introduction for such color-oriented products featuring maximalist patterning, it became a recurring project goal to strike the perfect balance between product identity and spacial design without losing any pre-established Prada Beauty flare.

First Phase

Similar to the previous concept, this was the beginning of my understanding regarding Prada Monochrome. As the Pradaverse identity started to unravel itself to me, I produced a simple concept of a single product display paired with a triptych of corresponding media and imagery for full immersion. I ensured visual consistency between this concept and the one before as to clearly imply that they exist within the same space.

Color Room v1 Mockup

Second Phase (Final)

This concept was the breakthrough for me in terms of the Pradaverse design and layout that 3D designer, Julian, and I would work with moving forward. It was here that the introduction of the even split between Monochrome and Dimensions, the respective color and pattern walls, and unused concept of a virtual assistant formed. Note that some elements in this mockup, such as the product images, are lower quality because finalized promotional assets were not yet available while the Rethinking Beauty campaign was still in development.

Color Room v2 Mockup

3D Render
Julian Chow

Early Render of the Color Room

Final Render of the Color Room

i. Concept Art

(cont.)

↳ Skin Room

The Skin Room materialized as the central hub for Prada Beauty’s innovative Augmented Skin collection, from detailing the regenerative skin technology to sustainability initiatives starting with refillable products. The motifs of smooth-textured walls and life-size products with refill animations were immediate concepts for driving these campaign features along.

First Phase (Final)

Mirroring the Color Room, the objective for the Skin Room was to inform and captivate users with texture and implied movement rather than bold color and patterns. It was important to shift toward a quieter palette where the Prada green, metallic tones, and tech aspects could have their moment to tell the story of the products. As stated before, the concept of the virtual assistant was discontinued as the project progressed, but the addition of social beauty filters were successful in the Paradoxe experience and were set to make a big return in the Pradaverse. Note that some elements in this mockup, such as the product images, are lower quality because finalized promotional assets were not yet available while the Rethinking Beauty campaign was still in development.

Skin Room Mockup

3D Render
Julian Chow

Early Render of the Skin Room

Final Render of the Skin Room

i. Concept Art

(cont.)

↳ Alternative Doorways

In collaboration with our brand partners and the internal team, these concepts were a creative exploration turned proposal for alternative entrance concepts informed by analytics from previous Prada Beauty virtual experiences and broader UX best practices. The goal was to optimize retention rates within the experience by considering more universally understood yet enticing doorway shapes instead of the triangular portals. Ultimately, these concepts were unused and this facet remained unchanged.

Pradaverse Doorway option #1: Standard

Pradaverse Doorway option #2: Wide with Transparent Walls

ii. Floor Plans

(2023)

As the experience continued to expand, I created concepts for several potential spatial layouts imagining how every virtual world within the Prada Beauty Augmented Experience could eventually connect into one larger universe. While primarily remaining conceptual, these floor plans became an exercise in intuitive navigation design that rotated between different focuses and left room for further expansion.

Pradaverse Floor Plan #1: Augmented Focus

Pradaverse Floor Plan #2: Balanced

Pradaverse Floor Plan #3: Paradoxe Focus

Pradaverse Floor Plan #4: Stacked

iii. Loading Icon

(2023)

Storyboarded and designed UI elements for loading animations that would appear in the experience, allowing for the transitional moments to reinforce the experience's visual language and to keep the user immersed.

Concepts

Loading Icon option #1: Pulsating Glow
(chosen concept for experience)

Loading Icon option #2: Liquid Fill

Loading Icon option #3: Glitch Wave

Animations

Loading Icon #1
(chosen icon for experience)

Loading Icon #2

Loading Text #1

Loading Text #2

Loading Text #3

iv. Marketing Assets

(2023)

Ahead of launch, I curated a promotional video designed to give the client flexible material for teasing the highly anticipated release of Rethinking Beauty and the Pradaverse. The idea was to introduce just enough of the experience to build excitement while preserving a sense of discovery waiting inside.

Teaser Video for an early version of the Pradaverse

004. Paradoxe Intense

i. Concept Art

(2023)

Returning to the Paradoxe microverse presented an opportunity to revisit a familiar environment through a fresh lens. I was tasked with proposing an intensified and elevated design for this refresh, including amplified pink lighting, heightened fragrance signifiers, updated promotional imagery, and more immersive environmental details. It was important that we were able to reintroduce the user to Paradoxe by creating a space that felt both nostalgic and new.

Concept
Jess LaFrance

3D Render
Daria Ryvkina

Final Mockup of the Intense Entrance

Final Render of the Intense Entrance

Final Mockup of the Intense Bottle Room

Final Render of the Intense Bottle Room

Final Mockup of the Intense Inside Bottle

Final Render of the Intense Inside Bottle

Final Mockup of the Intense Fragrance Room, with unused concept of moss flooring to represent the new ingredient

Final Render of the Intense Fragrance Room

Final Mockup of the Intense Campaign Room, with unused concept of animated pink liquid walls

Final Render of the Intense Campaign Room

ii. Marketing Assets

(2023)

With the refreshed experience ready to relaunch, the marketing needed to quickly communicate that a fan favorite had returned. I created a concise set of promotional assets highlighting the visual refresh while inviting both returning and first-time users back into the world.

Social Video for the launch of Paradoxe Intense

Top | Next