Vintage tweed tube amplifier sitting in a mid century modern inspired interior. 3D product photography visualization by commercial photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr.
“All Branding, design, ad design, creative direction, art direction, CGI photography, renders, retouching, compositing and post production ©Brian Rodgers Jr. All Rights Rights Reserved. www.digitalartthatrocks.com”
In a previous article, I showcased a series of guitar pedal images that I created using 3D software to create photo realistic product renderings. This process of creating product photography using 3D software is referred to as "CGI photography" or "3D product visualization." Building on the foundations of the guitar pedals, I also created a series of tube amplifiers.
Again, I've worked a commercial product photographer and digital artist for many, many years. While I generally prefer to photograph real products in real environments, CGI can be a great tool for solving real world problems as it pertains to creating commercial advertising and marketing imagery. If you're interested in reading more about some of the benefits of CGI product photography for ideation, proof of concept, prototyping, marketing and advertising check out my article "Product photography - CGI, Digital Photography or Both?"
As with the guitar pedal series that I created, this CGI guitar amplifier series also required many hours of creative exploration as I continued to build an entire brand from the ground up. These skills included things like:
Concept & Name Development
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Logo Design
Product Design & Development - Developing prototypes and mockups. Designing the product's appearance, functionality, and user experience.
3D Modeling
3D Rendering
Post-Production, Compositing & Professional Retouching
Ad Campaign design - Developing advertising layouts
Copy - Writing compelling advertising copy
Hero shot of a vintage tweed tube amplifier sitting in a mid century modern west coast interior. 3D product photography visualization by commercial photographer and digital artist Brian Rodgers Jr.
If I Could Design My Own Guitar Amplifier....What Would It Look Like?
To find out, I put my CGI skills to the test and created a gorgeous series of product development images that I poured my heart and soul into. Utilizing 3D tools allowed me to create freely as an artist without restriction, giving me complete control over every aspect of this image including but not limited to the color, decor, composition, lighting, materials etc.
Classic tweed tube amplifier. Product photography services for musical instrument manufacturers.
About The Surtic Sound Electrolux Guitar Amplifier Series
The concept behind this guitar amplifier series was to continue expanding my capabilities as a commercial image maker by building a cohesive body of work using CGI tools. I started by designing each guitar amplifier from the ground up, including the branding and written copy associated in each magazine ad. The environments and set design also played a very important role in this series of images. I wanted to incorporate west coast vibes as a central visual theme throughout this series while also drawing inspiration from mid-century modern architecture and interior design.
The production of this CGI product photography series started with modeling each guitar amplifier to real world scale. From there, I began building a unique 3D scene around each amplifier setting up virtual cameras, applying materials and lighting the scene. The process of creating architectural interiors, choosing the right focal lengths, creating pleasing compositions and professionally lighting each scene involved drawing from my years of experience working as a professional commercial photographer who specializes in product photography. Over the past few years of learning CGI, I've quickly realized that having real world photography skills are an essential skill set when working in 3D, because these skills directly translate to making more photo realistic product images.
Classic tweed tube amplifier. Commercial photography services for boutique amp designers and musical instrument manufacturers.
Classic tweed tube amplifier closeup product shot.
The Color Harmony
Color harmony is really important to me. I wanted create a rich and warm color palette of vintage 50s-60s inspired hues that transcend throughout the entire series. The high key sun washed windows with dappled light combined with retro modern interior design elements create a west coast vibe reminiscent of California's golden era.
I think the results of this series speak for itself. To me they're more than just product renderings. They're truly works of art that have a vibe and make you feel something when you look at them. I'm really happy with the ways this series turned out.
The Surtic Sound Electrolux Guitar Amplifier Print Ad Campaign
I created two unique headlines for this advertising campaign. Headline 1: "A Modern Classic" and Headline 2: "Don't Let The Tweed Deceive." The primary objective was to communicate to the viewer that this amp combines retro design aesthetics with modern metal tone.
The magazine ad copy reads: "The Surtic Sound Electrolux guitar amplifier delivers an incredibly versatile range of tones with the swagger of ‘60s design. This is made possible by combining the power and warmth of classic tube tone with Surtic Sound's proprietary DSP technology. Don't let the tweed deceive. Our three channel array not only delivers beautiful clean tones with plenty of headroom for Surtic Sound's stomp box effects pedals, you'll also get the chewy breakup of classic overdrive as well as gnarly high gain modern metal tones. All from a single amplifier! The Surtic Sound Electrolux features a single 12 inch speaker with a dual voice coil (DVC) design. This allows for stereo output through a single speaker. Giving you massive tone without the need to haul around a separate speaker cab. Your back with thank us later.”
Guitar magazine advertisement featuring a vintage tube amplifier.
Magazine advertisement of a vintage tube amplifier. CGI product photography, ad design and copy by commercial product photographer Brian Rodgers Jr.
Does Your Company Need Commercial Product Photography or 3D PRoduct Visualization For Your Next Marketing Or Advertising Campaign?
If you work for a company that designs and manufactures music driven products with passion, purpose and authenticity, Digital art That Rocks would love an opportunity to work with you!
I'm looking to collaborate with more musical instrument manufacturers i.e. guitar, bass, keyboard, microphone and drum manufacturers, boutique guitar amplifier companies and consumer electronics brands that make products like turntables, portable bluetooth speakers, bookshelf speakers and studio monitors.
If you're involved with product driven music brands, pro audio brands or music lifestyle brands, we're probably a good fit to work together! Whether you've developed new innovative products, improved on an old design or discovered new use cases, Digital Art That Rocks can help you reimagine and explore interesting ways to visualize your products with impact and clarity. Fill out my contact form by clicking the button above. Let me know how I can help!
