1. What’s a showcase project?
Showcase projects are non-commercially designed works that originate in our creative team. They are not for customers and there is no financial compensation.
Every showcase project is about a web based experience and falls into one of the 3 categories of 3D websites. The project is designed, planned and implemented by our team. We develop these to test new technologies, implement ideas and at the same time expand and learn together with the team.
Each showcase project has a specific focus on creative development, 3D or UX/UI design and is developed in a specific context (e.g. luxury clothes, NFTs, space technology, car configurators, etc.)
The showcase projects are presented after completion and all team members receive the files, credits and marketing materials for their own benefit.
2. What advantages do I have from participating?
The reasons why people participate vary. Below we list the experiences of people who took part.
Build your portfolio
The showcase projects are complete web projects that can be used for your portfolio after we finish them. Because we’re completely free to select suitable topics and ideas and can combine the different areas of expertise, each individual skill can contribute seamlessly and the results are often more impressive than client projects.
We also produce a range of marketing materials including a project trailer, renders and designs, all of which you can use to show your role in the project.
Gain experience and network with like-minded people
In our showcase projects we only bring together people who have already proven themselves to be top in their field. If you want to expand your horizons, this is a perfect opportunity to delve into other areas and learn from experts.
You can also find out how our projects are structured, how we manage them and finalize them within a few weeks. The execution and implementation of our showcase projects is exactly the same as the process we approach for customer projects.
Receive awards and recognitions
All showcase projects are professionally presented and evaluated on platforms such as Awwwards, CSS Design Awards and FWA. We pass on the awards and accolades to all participating members. In detail we do the following:
- Name participants in a credits screen on the website
- Add participants on the platforms themselves if possible
- hand over the final project so that participants can present it in their portfolio
- Share award badges and results
- Name participants on social media during the presentation
Receive public exposure
On average, the Immersive Studios showcase projects generate a total reach of more than 100,000 views on X alone. We are also present on the platforms Linkedin, YouTube and others.
When presenting the projects, we name participants and help ambitious team members grow their own social media presence (e.g. some of our members run their own YouTube channels that we support).
Participate just for fun
Showcase projects should ultimately be fun, and that's what we strive for. When you consider that many creative people work on their projects alone at home and that these often drag on for a long time, it is no wonder how refreshing and fun a joint showcase project can feel.
Seeing the results of the work and the live experience is worth the time we spend together over a few weeks, especially if you can share it with a team.
3. How do business and showcase projects differ?
The implementation, some of the tasks and the planning of the projects are the same. Showcase projects are usually less extensive and designed entirely according to our ideas, while customer projects are tailored to their needs.
In both project areas, we place equal emphasis on communication, commitment and timely, high-quality service delivery.
Showcase projects are non-commercial and unpaid. Business projects are usually budgeted at one to several thousand €/$ per person depending on the tasks and field of activity.
4. How can I earn a permanent team position for business projects?
In order to take part in our commercial projects, applicants must first qualify through showcase projects. If successful, we will automatically invite team members to business projects too when possible.
Our business projects are more extensive than our showcase projects and are initially paid per project per team member. Team members remain independent and flexible in their scheduling, organization, where they work and how they structure their work. If team members prove themselves over a longer period of time and the opportunities arise, there is the possibility of a permanent position.
As with any other studio, our focus is of course on commercial work and we are constantly working on expanding the team to then work on more commercial projects. When we accept team members, the willingness and enthusiasm for the showcase projects is just as important as for what comes next.
5. How does a showcase project work?
A showcase project usually takes place over a period of 3-5 weeks and is implemented with a team of 7-9 people. For each showcase project, we accept 1-3 new people who have successfully applied to Immersive and are ready to participate. The rest and majority of participants consist of already experienced team members.
Accepted team members and applicants can be found on our private studio discord server, where projects are managed. Every Monday, new showcase ideas will be presented and people can show their interest to take part.
Every around 3-4 weeks, a new showcase project is initiated by the team management and the participants are announced.
To find out more about the exact implementation of our projects, you can read a separate article here.
At the end of each showcase project, we begin the launch phase, where we prepare the marketing materials, announce the project publicly and finally publish it in an event!
6. Who takes part in the showcase projects?
Creative minds from a wide variety of areas apply to Immersive Studios. They are either freelancers, employed or looking for new opportunities. The participants are usually between 25 and 35 years old and are already experienced experts in their field who want to grow beyond themselves.
Each of these people is already working on personal projects to expand their portfolio, learn, or pursue their creative urges.
With our program we support exactly this project by combining all the time that would flow into personal projects and allowing it to flow into our showcase projects.
Applicants usually have the following positions:
- Creative Developer (ThreeJS, R3F, WebGL)
- Full Stack Developer
- Webflow Developer
- UX/UI Designer
- Motion Designer
- 3D Designer
- Shader Expert
- Front End Developer
- Creative Director
- Graphic Designer & Illustrator
- Project Manager
7. How can I apply for a showcase position?
To apply, you can contact us directly on X, send us an email or fill out the following form here.
We want to get to know you, your background and experience first and invite you to a meeting if we want to move forward with your application. If the meeting is successful, you have made it and can then immediately take a place in a showcase project.
Your performance in the first showcase project is decisive as to whether you will then be offered a team position and whether you will be allowed to take part in further projects (showcase and business) or not.
8. I work full-time, part-time or freelance, can I still join?
Our showcase projects do not require full-time employment. Rather, the average time required per team member is around 15-30 hours spread over 2-3 weeks.
For each showcase project, we schedule team members depending on the time they have available. Each project also has its focus, which can be on design, creative development or 3D, for example.
So it is quite possible to take part in the projects while actively pursuing someone else. The core team works in the same way, with whom we advance business projects in parallel.
9. What obligations await me in a showcase project?
With each showcase project we introduce, you can use the included references and details to get a good impression of the scope and focus of the project and whether you want to invest the time and effort.
We expect every team member to work on a showcase project as if it would be a client project. We have an organized project plan, mutually agreed meeting times and clearly defined tasks that everyone pursues.
Our highest values are commitment to the project, respect in collaboration, efficiency in work and punctuality in meetings, deadlines and other time agreements.
When we work together, we have this shared responsibility that everyone should feel committed to. When a person takes part in a showcase project, we expect them to complete it. If someone leaves in the middle of a project or neglects their responsibilities, forcing us to reorganize the project around them, they will inevitably be excluded from the team.
10. Summary
The showcase projects are an initiative to implement great projects and ideas without commercial interest and then present them on X and other platforms. Designers, developers and creatives from the community who are already experienced in their fields can apply to take part in the regularly scheduled projects.
It’s a valuable opportunity for creatives who want to expand their portfolio, learn something new, collect awards and enjoy working and collaborating on these technologies. Successful participants qualify further as team members, can take part in further showcases and also work on client projects on our business site.
If you would like to apply, please contact us directly.
