OPPO / OnePlus wallpapers

a selection of mobile identities

2023

From beautiful visuals to visual identity: by creating content that establishes emotional connection we bring products to life. About holistic solutions that answer questions in aesthetic ways.

By developing a large variety of phone wallpapers for OPPO and OnePlus over the past years we have brought popular products to life — visually, emotionally and functionally. Phone wallpapers do not only appear nice in the background, they actually bring one of the most personal gadgets to life. In fact, they often define it.

As simple as it sounds, there are many threads woven together: on the one hand, to represent the brand identity as well as to enhance the product's functionality and to integrate form and materiality of the hardware. On the other, phone wallpapers need to offer enough individuality to make the user feel at home and to identify with the design intuitively.

The goal is nothing less than breathing personality into the respective phone and thereby defining the experience with every interaction.

From briefing to final realization: In order to find holistic solutions that balance an equilibrium of all components, we initiate each process with an extensive research phase to explore visual and functional opportunities — from abstract to more concrete. By building concepts that give an authentic visual direction to resemble each individual brand and product identity, we create the foundation for a product personality that allows enough room for variety.

Translating multi-layered design demands into an aesthetic language and integrating this into the product experience is where creativity and tech expertise go together to go beyond.

Smartphone wallpapers are more than just still images: from animated live wallpapers reacting to unlock and swipe, to fully coded wallpapers evolving and changing their appearance based on users' app usage and activity, each interaction involves in-depth technical considerations.

For real-time wallpapers, a whole system is developed to create variety for different use cases. While interpreting the brand visually is an obvious goal, incorporating technical demands such as performance, energy consumption and compatibility with different platforms and devices are additional important complexities to include.

Another focus in creating integrative design concepts for future smartphone wallpapers is customization. By developing generative design systems, we enable uniqueness and flexibility for the user within the brand identity.

For the OPPO Aquamorphic design behind the OPPO ColorOS13, we conducted a concrete visual definition phase, exploring visuals that range from fluid and organic to underwater references. Here the focus lies on interpreting and transferring in-depth design considerations and creating a visual variety within that adheres to the pre-defined concept.

To ensure a smooth interplay of hardware and software we develop holistic wallpaper concepts with smart technical set-ups that support the visuality and vice versa: Technical and visual design aspects go hand in hand to enhance the product experience.

For a wallpaper design to resonate with a diverse user base, it needs to encompass a spectrum of styles and preferences. From the exuberance of vibrant colors and playful compositions to the understated sophistication of minimalist elegance, the visuals cater to every individual's aesthetic sensibilities. The OnePlus exploration exemplifies this approach, showcasing a range of designs that capture attention. In particular, the fluid, metallic visuals evoke a sense of refined luxury, appealing to users who appreciate a touch of modern elegance in their digital interactions. This interplay of light and texture creates a captivating depth, transforming a simple wallpaper into a piece of digital artistry.

credits

Creative Direction: Cedric Kiefer
Art Direction: Bernd Marbach, Raimi Nikkari, Roman Bratschi, Matei Bacanu, Leon Seith, Tiago Pires, Alexander Hahn, Sam Care
Production: Tobias Ziegler
Technical Direction: Henryk Wollik
Code: Henryk Wollik, João da Fonseca