Distant Futures
Art Direction, Video Editing, Storytelling (Personal project)
(Intro)
Imagining futures through alien seas.
Distant Futures is a speculative personal project that imagines a futuristic exhibition exploring how animals might have evolved in parallel worlds. Blurring the line between the aquatic, the alien, and the whimsical, the project combines video, sound, and visual identity to create an immersive experience that feels both captivating and otherworldly.
(Context)
Distant Futures is a self-initiated project born from a simple spark: a whimsical song that evoked the softness of the ocean, a surreal hum like a distant siren.
From there, I imagined an exhibition set in 2030, where fictional marine creatures -part earthly, part extraterrestrial- would be displayed as if in a futuristic museum.
The project became a playground for exploring AI tools (Midjourney, Kaiber, Runway) while blending art direction, storytelling, and visual experimentation.
The project became a playground for exploring AI tools (Midjourney, Kaiber, Runway) while blending art direction, storytelling, and visual experimentation.
(Creative
Direction
& Visual Identity)
I wanted the aesthetic to feel both fascinating and unsettling: aquatic, slimy, alien, yet beautiful and contemplative.
• Palette: Initially anchored in deep blues, later evolving toward striking orange/violet contrasts, inspired by bioluminescent effects and kirlian energy glows.
• Textures: Gooey, iridescent, pearlescent, translucent fins, reptilian scales, designed to feel tactile yet unreal.
• Typography & Graphics: Minimal, utilitarian, micro-graphics. The mirrored logo (“Dista(n)t f(u)tures”) hints at parallel realities, while the overall layout borrows from museum-style design where content takes precedence over the container.
• Mood: A hybrid between dystopia (giant creatures trapped in undersized enclosures for human spectacle) and speculative futurism (a serene, high-tech museum of the unknown).
⟶ The goal was to spark contemplation and fascination, making viewers question whether they are admiring or exploiting these beings.
(Content Formats
& Production)
• First experiment: a looping video of a giant jellyfish in a cylindrical tank, with small human silhouettes to emphasize scale. The song that inspired the project was integrated to reinforce the immersive feel.
• Bestiary: A collection of alien-oceanic hybrids created in Midjourney, mixing #bioluminescent, #alien features, and #translucent textures.
• Motion & Narrative: Short Kaiber and Runway animations expanded the stills into atmospheric sequences.
• Exhibition Design: Static elements; mockups, museum-style captions, typographic compositions, completed the fiction of a curated exhibition.
The deliverables combined motion video, AI-generated stills, identity design, and storytelling, creating a cohesive narrative universe.
(Key Learnings)
• AI as a collaborator: how to steer prompts toward emotional resonance, not just aesthetics.
• Balancing spectacle & subtlety: using vibrant contrasts without losing a contemplative, museum-like tone.
• Narrative framing: realizing that an imaginary exhibition can make abstract visuals feel grounded, legible, and impactful.
(Experience)
Distant Futures is an exploration of how design, storytelling, and AI can merge to create an exhibition that feels both familiar and alien. It’s less about predicting evolution than about provoking curiosity:
⟶ What if the creatures of tomorrow are already swimming in the corners of our imagination?
(Credits)
• Roles: Art Direction, Visual Identity, Storytelling, Video & Motion Design
• Tools: Photoshop, After Effects, Midjourney, Kaiber, Runway
Thanks ❤