For furniture designers and interior artists, envisioning aspirational spaces comes naturally. However, bringing these visions to life digitally in a way that connects with customers can prove challenging. Computational design using computer-generated imagery (CGI) now provides an innovative solution for communicating with your clients through visual storytelling.
Photo by Vecislavas Popa: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stairs-lights-inside-ceiling-1669799/
CGI can assist furniture and interior design brands in creating compelling narratives across virtual showrooms and advertising that clients can easily relate to versus abstract concepts. In this article, you’ll learn how to strategically use CGI to help your furniture or interior design brand stand out from competitors and make a lasting impression on your customers.
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/turned-on-gray-flat-screen-smart-tv-1571459/
Photographer: Vecislavas Popa
What is CGI and Why Should Brands Care?
As a furniture and interior designer, you need prototypes to show and sell your designs or new products to customers. You will have to take photos or build prototypes traditionally. However, the problem with these methods is that they limit your ability to tell stories using visuals. Conversely, CGI allows for immersive digital visualization and rendering of photorealistic products, spaces, materials, lighting, and more.
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) refers to 3D Product Imaging rendered by computer software rather than through traditional photography or videography. It uses software like Blender to bring together different elements that can be combined to make a scene come to life.
Using CGI allows your brand to unlock new creative possibilities that enhance product visual storytelling, such as:
- Flexibility: CGI allows unlimited revisions and experimentation without constant re-shoots. Designers can easily explore bolder concepts.
- Cost-Effectiveness: No expensive physical prototypes or sets are needed. CGI streamlines and economizes the design process.
- Consistency: Maintain complete control over lighting, angles, materials, etc. CGI ensures aligned visual identity across assets.
- Realism: Advanced CGI can capture subtle textures, lighting, and details on par with real life. Highly realistic visualization builds customer trust.
- Accessibility: CGI provides consumers with easier access to lifelike product experiences online, without geographic limits.
The CGI process may seem technical, but many furniture and interior design brands now partner with 3D render agencies like Danthree Studio to create high-quality CGI and virtual reality models. This gives brands a powerful new way to bring their visions to three-dimensional life and enhance client experiences while maintaining focus on their core services.
Photo by Vecislavas Popa: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flat-screen-tv-1571458/
4 Ways to Leverage CGI for Amazing Product Stories
CGI is a game-changer for omnichannel brand storytelling. But how exactly can you leverage it across touchpoints? Let’s explore the possibilities.
#1 Create Storytelling Ads
One compelling way to leverage CGI is to produce storytelling ads that emotionally connect with customers. These cinematic, narrative-driven ads use CGI to place products in aspirational settings that align with the storyline. For example, an ad could show a couple relaxing on a sofa in their dream home – except it’s all computer-generated!
The key is to tie the product benefit into a compelling narrative arc. Maybe the ad follows a woman decorating her first apartment after moving to the big city. The Ad can show her challenges and victories in creating her perfect stylish oasis. It is an opportunity to highlight your brand’s furnishings’ role in helping her achieve her desired lifestyle. The story builds desire while positioning our products as the hero.
CGI makes this kind of aspirational, emotional storytelling possible in a way live footage can’t. You can craft the perfect scenes without expensive sets, locations, or restrictions. The furniture and spaces are tailored to the story in a controlled environment.
Photo by Curtis Adams: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-gray-sofa-set-with-brown-center-table-and-rug-in-a-living-room-7027980/
#2 Show-Stopping Trade Show Booths
Trade shows offer a significant opportunity to tell your brand’s story. You can create an immersive branded world within your booth space with CGI. Begin by planning a narrative – what experience do you want visitors to have? What story will you tell?
Next, work with CGI artists to render striking backdrops that align with your brand identity and reinforce this narrative. Incorporate life-sized CGI models of your latest product designs into the booth.
Guests can explore and interact with photorealistic 3D models of actual furnishings. Use CGI renders on screens and surfaces throughout the booth to showcase products in aspirational settings. Surround guests with vivid visual storytelling.
Finally, work in aligned practical elements around the CGI foundation. But let CGI do the heavy storytelling lifting – captivating visitors with an experience they will remember.
#3 Social Media Made Engagement
Social media is a powerful tool for furniture and interior design brands to showcase their products. Using CGI, you can tell fantastic product stories to engage customers and drive sales. CGI allows you to bring products to life in a way that simple photos can’t compare.
CGI opens up so many creative options for social media content like Instagram. For one, you can design special augmented reality filters for your followers. They can then virtually place furnishing products into their natural environments via stories. People find this so entertaining!
Furthermore, short branded videos are very attention-grabbing on platforms like Facebook. CGI allows possibilities such as time-lapses of furniture assembly or before-and-after home makeover reveals.
Your brand should also explore partnering with influencers. Influencers can showcase furniture and interior products with CGI assets in their personalized, realistic dream spaces. This expands the reach of your marketing and deepens customer engagement.
Photo by Vecislavas Popa: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-chairs-with-glass-table-on-living-room-near-window-1571453/
#4 Create Storytelling Websites
Your website is often a customer’s first impression of your brand, so it’s crucial to make a strong one. With CGI’s proper use, you can wow visitors from arrival.
For starters, don’t just stick with bare product photos – bring those items to life with vivid 360-degree views. Shoppers love being able to fully rotate and zoom in on all the details from any angle. Furthermore, interactive 3D configurators allow placing furniture within virtual room designs. This helps customers envision how pieces will look and fit in their spaces. In turn, it encourages more confident purchases.
In addition to product pages, get creative with CGI across your whole site. Vibrant banners and images customized for key pages like “About” or your collection launches can capture attention immediately. Similarly, virtual showroom tours transport visitors straight to your stores without ever leaving home.
For those deeper dives, illustrated blog tutorials and guides propel learning in a fun, engaging format. Whether assembly demos or room makeover time-lapses, CGI brings your written content to a new level.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/end-table-near-window-269218/
Conclusion
CGI is a powerful tool for furniture and interior design brands to tell aspirational product stories and market more effectively across various channels. Whether through 3D configurations, lifestyle videos, virtual showrooms, or detailed renderings, CGI brings products to life in a realistic yet captivating way.
When seamlessly integrated into sites, ads, and across social media, CGI deepens customer engagement and understanding and drives actual business results. Leveraging this technology is a strategic investment that can take visual merchandising and e-commerce experiences to new heights.
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