Sip & Scan: Branding Alive in AR

Authors

Zoya Laskowski, University of the PacificFollow
Nico Aragon Guevara, University of the PacificFollow
Barri Barrientos, University of the PacificFollow
Logan Blutreich, University of the PacificFollow
Ashley Brown, University of the PacificFollow
Maliya Caraang, University of the PacificFollow
Aruelle Fernandez, University of the PacificFollow
Riley Fox, University of the PacificFollow
Nisreen Hitti, University of the PacificFollow
Nevaeh Padilla, University of the PacificFollow
Aramani Ryans, University of the PacificFollow
Sylvia Thornton, University of the PacificFollow
Lexie Wengenroth, University of the PacificFollow

Lead Author Affiliation

Art, Media, Performance and Design

Lead Author Status

Faculty

Second Author Affiliation

Graphic Design

Second Author Status

Undergraduate - Sophomore

Third Author Affiliation

Graphic Design

Third Author Status

Undergraduate - Senior

Fourth Author Affiliation

Media X, Art, Media, Perform & Design

Fourth Author Status

Undergraduate - Junior

Fifth Author Affiliation

Psychology (BS), Psychology

Fifth Author Status

Undergraduate - Junior

Sixth Author Affiliation

Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design

Sixth Author Status

Undergraduate - Sophomore

Additional Authors

• Aruelle Fernandez, Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design, Senior
• Riley Fox, Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design, Sophomore
• Nisreen Hitti, Media X, Art, Media, Perform & Design, Senior
• Nevaeh Padilla, Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design, Freshman
• Aramani Ryans, Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design, Freshman
• Sylvia Thornton, Computer Science, Computer Science, Senior
• Lexie Wengenroth, Art conc Graphic Design, Art, Media, Perform & Design,Junior

Faculty Mentor Name

Zoya Laskowski

Research or Creativity Area

Other

Abstract

Sip & Scan: Branding Alive in AR

2025 | University of the Pacific, California, United States

Professor-initiated immersive seasonal branding campaign with student-created content transforming café branding into interactive Halloween and Christmas experiences.

This project presents a seasonal branding concept that brings café and retail brands to life through interactive Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. Conceived and designed by Professor Zoya Laskowski in her Arts 77 Branding and Identity Systems class, students collaborated to create all content for the seasonal campaigns.

The Halloween campaign, launched on October 8, featured animated AR motion ads. By scanning Groundstack Coffee packaging, customers unlocked a new interactive ad every few hours, creating engagement and excitement leading up to Halloween. The Christmas campaign, launched on December 3, continued the AR experience with festive-themed ads, offering a unique way for customers to interact with the brand during the holiday season.

This project demonstrates how strategic branding, design thinking, and AR technology can transform a real-world client project into an immersive, memorable experience while highlighting students’ creative execution in branding, digital design, and experiential marketing.

Client: Groundstack Coffee
Awards: 2025 Horizon Interactive Awards Gold Award – Multi-Channel Advertising (Medium Category)
Exhibition: The Reynolds Gallery, University of the Pacific, Dec 3, 2025
Student Contributors: Nico Aragon Guevara, Barri Barrientos, Logan Blutreich, Ashley Brown, Maliya Caraang, Aruelle Fernandez, Riley Fox, Nisreen Hitti, Nevaeh Padilla, Aramani Ryans, Sylvia Thornton, Lexie Wengenroth

Purpose

This project investigates how seasonal branding campaigns can be brought to life through immersive, interactive experiences using augmented reality (AR). The central question explored is: How can a real-world café brand engage customers in novel, memorable ways by integrating student-created digital content into physical packaging?

The rationale behind this work is to combine strategic branding, design thinking, and emerging AR technology to enhance customer engagement and create a measurable impact on brand perception. The approach involved a faculty-initiated campaign in which students in the Arts 77 Branding and Identity Systems class collaboratively designed two seasonal campaigns (Halloween and Christmas) for Groundstack Coffee. Students developed AR-animated ads that were triggered by scanning product packaging, creating a dynamic and evolving brand experience.

The possible outcomes of this project include demonstrating the effectiveness of AR-enhanced branding in capturing customer attention, increasing engagement, and providing a model for experiential marketing that can be applied to cafés, shops, and restaurants. Additionally, it highlights the value of student collaboration in professional-level creative projects.

Results

The “Sip & Scan” project successfully launched two immersive seasonal branding campaigns for Groundstack Coffee. The Halloween campaign, beginning October 8, featured AR-animated motion ads that were unlocked by scanning product packaging. Customers received a new interactive ad every few hours, generating sustained engagement throughout the campaign period.

The Christmas campaign, launched December 3, continued the AR experience with festive-themed ads, maintaining high levels of customer interaction and participation. All student-created content functioned as designed, with AR triggers accurately activating animations across multiple devices.

Key measurable outcomes included:

• Full implementation of AR-triggered advertising across the client’s packaging.

• Seamless delivery of interactive experiences without technical errors.

• Positive feedback from customers and stakeholders regarding the novelty and engagement of the campaigns.

• Exhibition of the project at the University of the Pacific’s Reynolds Gallery on December 3, 2025.

• Recognition with a 2025 Gold Award from the Horizon Interactive Awards for Multi-Channel Advertising in the Medium Category.

No technical failures or negative results were reported during the campaign period. The project demonstrates that collaborative student-led creative work can be successfully executed in a real-world, professional setting using emerging interactive technologies.

Significance

The “Sip & Scan” project demonstrates the potential for combining strategic branding, design thinking, and emerging augmented reality (AR) technology to transform traditional marketing into interactive, memorable experiences. By integrating student-created content into real-world packaging, this work provides a model for experiential marketing that engages customers in new and meaningful ways.

The project is significant because it bridges the gap between academic learning and professional practice, giving students hands-on experience with innovative technologies while producing outcomes that directly benefit a real-world client. It also illustrates how AR can enhance brand identity, drive customer interaction, and create seasonal excitement in retail and café environments, offering a replicable strategy for businesses seeking to differentiate themselves in competitive markets.

Additionally, the project contributes to the field of design education by showing how immersive, collaborative campaigns can foster creativity, technical skill, and practical problem-solving. The results and methodology can inform future research in interactive media, branding, and AR-based marketing, and serve as a reference for educators, designers, and marketers aiming to create engaging, multi-channel campaigns.