The Fastest and The Greenest
The excitement of speed and adventure comes with environmental impact that cannot be ignored. Therefore, Lynk & Co Prospective Design Team challenged us to create a cockpit racing solution that is swappable/reusable. The design was expected to be part of an immersive experience that represents a future in 2030.
My role in this project
As the Concept Designer, I played a pivotal role in shaping the foundation of Velocity. I came up with creative ideas that were crucial to achieve the final result. Although generating creative ideas, i made sure to keep the feasibility of concepts.
I took big part in creating compelling narrative around the Velocity concept. This involved developing a storyline that connected the technology with the user’s experience, connecting the different parts of our concept.
As the VFX Artist, I brought the augmented reality elements to life. Using tools such as After Effects, I designed and integrated visual effects that demonstrated how AR would be projected onto a car’s windshield, transforming the vehicle into a race machine. This included overlaying virtual tracks, cars, and customizations onto real-world footage, ensuring a seamless blend between the physical and digital worlds.
In my role as Videographer, I captured the real-world footage used in the final film. This required careful planning to ensure that the footage aligned with the story and would work cohesively with the virtual elements.
As the Video Editor, I was responsible for compiling and editing all the footage into a polished, engaging final product. Using Premiere Pro, I worked on the post-production process, which involved cutting, pacing, and fine-tuning the film to ensure a smooth narrative flow. I also added sound design and color grading to heighten the racing experience, making it both visually and audibly exciting. This role allowed me to bring all the pieces of the project together into a cohesive and compelling presentation that effectively showcased the Velocity concept.
Softwares
Blender
Unreal Engine
After Effects
Premiere Pro
Figma
Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co, a progressive automotive brand, is known for pushing boundaries in the industry. With a focus on innovation, sustainability, and community, Lynk & Co sought to challenge the conventional world of motor racing—a sport loved by millions but notorious for its environmental impact.
Brief
“How might we design the next Lynk&Co experience for the customers, drivers, passengers and fans that are proud of the racing and sporty heritage that the brand sports, without forgetting the reality we live in. Develop and practically demonstrate an immersive experience representative of a 2030(ish) future to be presented to the Lynk&Co team. Please welcome the Conscious Racer.”
Project Process Overview
Concept Development
Concept 1: Lynk & Quest
Our first concept, Lynk & Quest, focused on using AR technology to transform cityscapes into racetracks, allowing drivers to participate in interactive, game-like quests. However, while creative, this concept diverged from our main goal of creating an immersive racing experience tied to the thrill of competition.
Concept 2: Lynk & Club
Lynk & Club aimed to transform Lynk & Co’s existing clubs into hubs for virtual racing, where drivers could meet, socialize, and compete in simulators. This concept leaned heavily into building community but didn’t fully capture the individual driving experience we wanted to emphasize.
Concept 3: Lynk & Competitive
Targeted at the competitive racer, this concept allowed drivers to virtually race against others in a simulation that mimicked real-world racing events. However, this idea felt too niche and lacked the broader appeal we were aiming for in making racing more accessible to all.
Final Concept
The final concept, Velocity, was designed to be an eco-friendly racing simulator built into Lynk & Co cars. It allows drivers to participate in virtual races while their cars remain stationary, using Augmented Reality (AR) to project dynamic race environments onto the car’s windshield. The concept bridges the gap between traditional motor racing and the future of digital interaction, offering a thrilling, immersive experience without the environmental impact of real-world racing.
AR-Enhanced Racing
The core of the Velocity experience is the use of Augmented Reality, transforming a parked vehicle into a high-speed race machine. The windshield acts as a transparent display where virtual tracks, obstacles, and other race elements are projected. This technology allows drivers to experience the intensity of a real race without consuming fuel or emitting pollutants.
Car Customization
Velocity introduces a revolutionary approach to car personalization. Using digital interfaces inside the vehicle or on mobile devices, drivers can customize their car's appearance—from paint color to body panels and decals—through AR. These customizations are visible both in the virtual race environment and in the real world, adding a layer of individuality and personal connection to the racing experience.
Social & Competitive Community
The concept emphasizes community building around virtual racing. Through the Lynk & Co Club locations, racers can gather, socialize, and compete. Drivers have the option to race with friends or enter global competitions, all within a virtual environment that mimics real-world race tracks. This fosters a sense of camaraderie and competition, elevating the overall racing experience.
Environmentally Friendly Racing
One of the most critical aspects of Velocity is its sustainability. By conducting races in stationary vehicles, it eliminates the need for fuel consumption, tire wear, and emissions that are typical in traditional motorsports. This makes racing accessible to a broader audience while maintaining a strong environmental consciousness, in line with Lynk & Co’s ethos.
Development
Storyboarding & Filming real world scenes
We used storyboarding to structure and visualize the concept of Velocity, focusing on key features such as AR-enhanced racing, car customization, and the immersive driver experience. This helped us plan the final film that would present the project, ensuring a coherent narrative that captured the essence of our vision.
Filming real-world elements in Lynk & Co’s Club provided a foundation for merging reality with virtual racing. The Club served as the central point in the narrative, showing how the concept could seamlessly integrate into the real world. This also helped ground the futuristic concept in a familiar and relatable environment.
Rigging cars in Blender & creating racing scenes in Unreal Engine
Using Blender and Unreal Engine, we created 3D models of the cars and virtual environments. These tools allowed us to render realistic scenes of cars racing through city streets, blending the digital world with real physics. The immersive racing experience, combined with the ability to customize vehicles digitally, was key to delivering the vision of Velocity.
Augmented Reality by VFX in After Effects
To create the AR effect in our concept, we used VFX to overlay customized car features and racing tracks onto real-world footage. This showcased how AR could transform a parked vehicle into a dynamic racing machine, giving users an interactive and visually compelling experience.
Editing in Premiere Pro
The final stage involved using Premiere Pro for editing. We enhanced the film with sound design to capture the thrill of the race, and color grading to differentiate between the virtual and real-world elements. This provided a polished, cinematic feel to the project.
