October 5, 2018

Custom Designed App, Dogmented Reality, Wins “Top-Dog” Prize

NEW YORK, NY–Mancini recently participated in the annual Herman Miller Puppy Love Challenge, taking home the prize of Top Dog for the creative use of augmented reality–or in this case, Dogmented Reality. The Challenge was put on by the internationally-recognized furniture supplier in league with Creative Office Pavilion and called for design firms to provide a unique look for the iconic ‘Magis Puppy.’

The Mancini Team designed a custom app that implements augmented reality to virtually place different looks on the puppy, lovingly named Ralph after the firm’s founder. The app, available on the Apple App Store, allows any user to locate target on a custom-printed mat and swipe through all the different designs for Ralph.

“We knew that this was not only a great strategy to create buzz for this amazing charity, but to illustrate the types of things we’re doing every day at Mancini,” said Michael Kipfer, head of the Challenge design team. “We couldn’t settle on a single design, so we thought ‘Why not use them all?,’ knowing that we could integrate augmented reality to fully realize our design.”

“We love it because Ralph looks like an ordinary puppy, but when you see him in Dogmented Reality, he can wear whatever he wants,” explains team member Sara Bergman. “Think of it like a Snapchat filter – everyone had a great time swiping through the different designs. Our favorite was the googley eyes that followed you, and it was definitely a crowd-pleaser.”

All of the puppy designs, from more than a dozen firms, were auctioned off to benefit the Social Tees Animal Rescue center. The organization is a no-kill shelter that rescues abandoned or homeless animals throughout the city and works to find permanent homes.

About Mancini

Mancini Duffy stands out as a technology-first design firm that specializes in architecture, interiors, and planning of the built environment. With more than 90 professionals located in New York City and New Jersey, Mancini builds on a hundred years of expertise with a contemporary, entrepreneurial spirit. The firm is dedicated to leveraging technology that enhances the design solutions we deliver to our clients’ toughest challenges. Our designers explore ways to make people’s lives better in the dedicated design lab which serves as the in-house incubator for our natural curiosities.