Lockdown for all of us was a new and unwelcome experience. It sort of felt like solitary confinement except we had committed no crime. Safety from the awful virus was our only purpose and consolation. How our lives changed! Who could have imagined us as ZOOM’ers or experts on the best of NETFLIX or AMAZON PRIME? Updating our online shopping lists became a regular and irritating chore for those like us who cannot plan menus and don’t feel like standing gloved and masked in a car park waiting to enter Sainsbury’s. Our laptops had suddenly become our new best friends.
SOCIAL DISTANCING DURING PRODUCTION
As best we could, we have managed to run our business, staying in touch with our weavers and clients and even holding design meetings to discuss projects, some already underway, others ready to go, as soon as we get out of jail. But with several new rug designs in progress and some already to hand, we needed a way to start promoting them to the world – without leaving home!
CANCAN RUG. STYLIST: KARINA GARRICK. PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER DIXON
Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) has become the go-to technology for product design companies like TOPFLOOR and we have been using it for some time now. Don’t get us wrong, nothing can beat real photography and the fun of a creative day spent on location with photographer, stylist, props, and countless cups of coffee and the thrill of seeing the final results on the screen. We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words and a brilliant picture many times more. So being stuck indoors has given us the ideal chance to explore even further the possibilities and benefits of CGI.
First, of course, there is the matter of cost. Photoshoots mean booking a photographer, stylist, a man with van, renting props and a location, transporting rugs to and from and being away from the office. Then of course there is the post-production work which adds to time and cost.
EVERY STONE RUG. PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK BOLTON
By contrast and at a fraction of the cost, CGI software means you don’t have to leave the office or plan way in advance. You don’t have to juggle dates with the photographer, stylist, venue or studio, and the man with the van. CGI designers can add locations, room sets, props and even lighting conditions that work perfectly with our designs that we can fine tune at the click of a mouse.
VALENTINO RUG. CGI: AD ARCHITECTURE
In a competitive world, speed is vital in getting new designs and products into the market. CGI is perfect for quick fire product launches and it is possible to get customer feedback (and perhaps an order) even before going into full production.
WOODSCAPE RUG. CGI: AD ARCHITECTURE
We are a bespoke business and we can customize our designs almost without limit. CGI means we can create high-quality images that can show different variations of the same design much faster than with traditional photography.
BOOGIE BOOGIE RUNNER. PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK BOLTON. CGI: AD ARCHITECTURE
BOOGIE BOOGIE RUNNER. PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK BOLTON. CGI: AD ARCHITECTURE
Finally, CGI with its immediacy whether still or video, is perfect for satisfying social media’s insatiable appetite for new and inviting imagery.
ENVELOPE RUG. INTERIOR DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY: GREGORY PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS
The lockdown has given us a chance to prepare for the ‘new normal’ as well as the opportunity to learn some new skills. We are still relatively new to the world of CGI and are keen to explore its potential for our future design and product plans – in conjunction with traditional photography.