Visit the case study section of any agency website and you will be wowed by the demonstrations of ‘in-situ’, work, illustrated on everything from planes and trains to aeroplanes.
It doesn’t really matter that most of the visuals are the result of hours in Photoshop and not days on photo shoots. These mock-ups are important because they help to dramatise the scope and story of the project.
But while many products are experienced physically, the reality is that our initial contact with most brands is mediated entirely through a smartphone screen.
Which means that if you want to see how a new brand or identity really stands up to scrutiny, you shouldn’t be seduced by those amazing pieces of AI generated 3D animation shown on Times Square billboards.