Tonic

Giving every musician on a live jam app an avatar and a studio.

Industry: Music app
Year: 2022
Touchpoints: Art direction, Character design, Motion design, Website

Tonic — the stage: a pianist on a floating platform, ringed by the audience's avatars

On Tonic, people play music together, live, without ever showing themselves. The app needed a presence that could replace the camera without bringing back the pressure of being seen. Hervé designed the 3D characters that stand in for users, a gender neutral wardrobe, six rooms in four colour themes and a stage mode, then the teaser and the website that tell their story.

Tonic — the string family in 3D: double bass, harp, cello and violin

Your very own avatar

Unlike conventional live-streaming apps, Tonic empowers users to craft their own avatars, shifting the spotlight from visual appearances to the pure essence of sound.

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: top, colour-block jacket, jeans and trainers

Choose your style and dive in!

We've crafted about ten outfits, with or without accessories, all gender-neutral, to promote inclusivity and choice. Everyone can feel free to wear the outfit that resonates with them the most.

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: blue hoodie, white trainers and glasses

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: black sequined coat, ankle boots and hoops

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: tuxedo, bow tie and red shoes

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: white t-shirt, beige skirt and boots

Tonic — an outfit to assemble: long red dress, glasses and heels

Tonic — a studio set: a pink shape on its platform

Tonic — a studio set: a pale green arch with a round mirror

Tonic — a studio set: a blue wall, a record player and shelves

Tonic — a studio set: a yellow staircase, a mirror and a sunflower

Tonic — a studio set: an orange arch, a lamp and plants

Tonic — a full 3D lounge: sofa, armchairs and string lights

Tonic — the shapes of the graphic system, pegged to a line

Tonic — a party set: string lights, lamps, plants and flowers

Tonic — the “Live session time” announcement, with tuba, music note and confetti

Tonic — app screens fanned out: stage mode and performances

Badges and rewards

Users are rewarded with badges and special items unlocked as they progress through the app.

Tonic — achievements in the app and the New Year's practice challenge

Workflow for real time 3D.

Optimizing each asset, unwrapping their UVs, and conducting baking helps improve performance in the app, ensuring the desired rendering quality.

Optimisation, baking, painting

To isolate the customizable parts, we grouped the elements comprising the room bases along with their UVs, unwrapped, baked, and painted the customizable elements of the backgrounds separately.