Turning Augmented Reality into a media: Design exploration to build a dedicated visual language

This work collects the explorations conducted within the EPFL+ECAL Lab by several designers to interpret the various spheres of action of Augmented Reality in order to derive visual principles. These principles seek to contribute to developing a specific visual grammar, which is essential if Augmented Reality is to go beyond technological performance to acquire the status of a true media, like all other vision-based media. This visual grammar constitutes a reference based on which designers may then build projects whose narrative and/or emotional content captivates the end-user. The research presented starts from an artistic approach through design and derives generic principles. The starting point is the development of actual AR installations and their presentation to the general public in the form of an evolving exhibition entitled Give Me More. Following two initial presentations in Lausanne and San Francisco, Give Me More was the winner of the DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2010. The designers' work relies on the software and research of the EPFL Computer Vision Laboratory (CVLab) and Dr Julien Pilet. The results have made it possible to define certain rules for visual links between the physical and virtual worlds, simple narrative principles for the animations and a global approach for the design of representation devices. The results also show that there is much work yet to be done in order to devise an initial global visual grammar for Augmented Reality — an absolute prerequisite to turn this into a fully-fledged media.