Seeing Is Believing: How Design Army Used AI to Create Quirky ‘Adventures in A-Eye’ Campaign

Life on this desolate, wind-swept planet comes in two forms: giant eyeballs that seem more endearing than eerie, and impossibly stylish people with varying degrees of astigmatism.

If that sounds like the setup for a fashion-forward sci-fi flick, it’s no accident. Independent agency Design Army has created a retro-futuristic world straight out of a classic 1950s B-movie for a new campaign for retailer Georgetown Optician.

To develop the digital and print assets, Design Army turned to artificial intelligence to meet a tight one-month deadline and coincide with a new store opening for the brick-and-mortar brand. “Adventures in A-Eye,” a pun-filled trip to a fictional no man’s land, marks the agency’s first test of AI technology.

“We took a risk in partnering with a non-human,” Pum Lefebure, chief creative officer and co-founder, told Adweek. “And while it doesn’t take much time for AI to spit out an image, it takes time to do it right and nail the execution.”

The human touch

Some of the common criticisms of AI are true, Lefebure said, and it can feel “soulless and stiff” on its own. It requires “the human touch,” she said, such as photo manipulation, animation, sound design and typography.

AI took the lead on talent selection, wardrobe and location, for instance, while other key elements came from the creative team, which also added the brand’s eyeglasses in post-production. 

While she loves the speed, “I hate AI’s stubbornness,” Lefebure said. “We experimented endlessly until it learned the art direction we liked.”

Since it’s often perceived as a threat, AI regularly finds itself in the crosshairs of creative debate, which Lefebure finds short-sighted, even after shooting real-life campaigns for 15 years.

“Haters say you’re not creating anything—you’re just punching in words, that there’s no creativity,” Lefebure said. “I disagree. The secret to AI success is really understanding how to prompt with a laser-focused vision and approach it as a collaboration versus a one-and-done solution.”

Eyelian invasion

While feeling both “curious and uncomfortable,” the team embraced the challenge, using AI “just like any other design tool,” Lefebure said. 

The result is a series of video snippets—along with a 30-second spot and print pieces—that aims to take viewers on a journey to an “unknown planet” where travelers need to wear glasses to protect themselves from the harsh environment.

There are clues right away, though, that this work will be campy, not creepy: the stars of “Adventures in A-Eye” have names like Eyesaiah, Eyeris, Eyeliot and Eyereen. Looming large in the scene, but not menacing anyone is the main character named Eyelian. 

The whole landscape is bathed in a soothing “Mars pink” color palette, while the soundtrack and 3D title cards have a distinct throwback feel. 

The campaign assets feature different episodes like “Return of the Dry Eye” and “Attack of the Blue Light,” keeping the space odyssey-style vibe and mixing cues from different time periods.

“We wanted to bring a sense of romance to the story—traveling into the future that feels like the past,” Lefebure said. “You can’t quite place the era—is this world 1950s or 2050s?”

“Adventures in A-Eye” launches for spring but will change stars, stories and genres with the seasons throughout 2023.

It’s the latest work for longtime client Georgetown Optician, a five-location chain that shares its Washington, D.C., hometown with the agency. Previous campaigns have tipped their hat to Wes Anderson’s trademark twee filmmaking and borrowed from the Addams Family sensibility long before Wednesday was a Netflix hit. (The latter commercial was one of Adweek’s favorite spots of 2015).

The agency plans to continue tinkering with AI in the future, using “Adventures” as a template.

“Once you get the formula down, it’s like magic—it can surprise and inspire you with new ideas you didn’t expect,” Lefebure said. “But it’s still in its super early stages.”

And no need to fret, creatives, because the robots aren’t actually coming for your jobs.

“I don’t think AI will ever replace real humans,” Lefebure said. “It’s just another tool to create and execute innovative campaigns.”

CREDITS:

Client: Georgetown Optician

Creative Agency: Design Army
Chief Creative Officer: Pum Lefebure
Chief Executive Officer: Jake Lefebure
Executive Creative Director: Sucha Becky
Creative Director: Heloise Condroyer
Copywriter: Cory Hansen
Senior Designer/Animator: Jason Chae
Designers & Animator: Yeri Choi, Momo Jiang
Social Media: Molly Stotts
Sound Design: Simon Lister, Squeak E. Clean Studios
In Collaboration with AI: Midjourney