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I’ve talked about how digital signage is a great way to capture attention – and I’m even starting to think that glasses-free 3D could be a great way to go even further. However, both of those pale in comparison to creating an optical illusion that appears out of nowhere!
Optical illusions are a great way to capture attention. Do you remember the “Magic Eye” posters? I can’t tell you how many people I saw standing and staring at those things. Research has shown that people linger over optical illusions because our brains hate being tricked. We have expectations of how something should look – and if it doesn’t look “right,” then we stare at it until our brain can determine what (and why) it is out of order. It’s the same primal part of our brain that loves magic tricks. We know the elephant didn’t disappear, but we are delighted when it does.
So, a really cool display would be an optical illusion in which something seems to appear out of thin air – but is there, tangible, so people can touch it and interact. I have seen really good holographic displays, but while they may draw me in, I can’t grab the product. A good display uses the hologram to draw attention to the physical product, but the technology just isn’t quite there yet.
However, it could be soon, thanks to metamaterials.
Associate Creative Director at bloomfield knoble
