The problem that started it
Photos taken by the people who were actually there — at a concert, a brand event, a conference — carry something that professionally produced content doesn't. But getting that authentic, audience-created content is hard. Not because people don't want to share, but because taking a photo and sharing it are almost never connected. Today's tools ask people to submit after the fact. A link sent by email. A hashtag mentioned at the end of a presentation. The engagement has already passed.
The constraints vary by event type: copyright concerns, content sensitivity, and scale. But the core problem is the same. Getting people to actually participate in the moment is the hard part. I kept wondering whether that was a design problem as much as a tool problem, and whether Frontify was the right place to try to change this process.
The idea
Lens is a branded, real-time camera experience for events. A brand or organizer creates an event or campaign in the app, and invites participants to capture photos through Lens. Those photos land in a curated live view that feels like a shared camera roll, not a submission form.
What we explored
What we built
Lens has two sides to it.
The event manager sets up an event, schedules when it runs, and defines the rules: how many photos each person can take, and when others can start seeing what's been shared. Every photo taken with Lens automatically lands in Frontify, and the event manager stays in control of what's visible to the public, approving or rejecting photos with a simple swipe.
For participants, there's nothing to download. Scanning the event QR code adds Lens directly to the phone. There is no app download needed, as we use a so-called app clip, a mini app that lives on the lock screen. Within seconds, participants can pick a username and start shooting. Built-in visual filters shape how photos look before they're shared, and guided prompts give everyone a common mission. The live view is a full-screen display of photos as they come in, with the QR code embedded so new people can join mid-event.
We put Lens to the test during Sparks — with a simple prompt to photograph a Sparks award winner. People found that moment, each from their own angle, and saw their photo appear within seconds.
During our party, something unplanned happened: People started gathering in front of the screen, just to look at the incoming stream of photos.
Where it could go
Right now, Lens removes friction. The next step is making participation something people actually look forward to. Better visual filters, live reactions, video capture, auto-generated highlight reels — small touches that turn taking a photo into part of the event itself. The more people enjoy using it, the more they participate, and the more valuable the content becomes.
The second direction is branding. Imagine pulling brand elements directly into the camera experience: campaign overlays and filters, typography, motion templates, and content packs powered by Frontify. The camera becomes part of the brand experience, and the photos it produces reflect that.
And then there's the bigger picture. Lens could change how event content gets from the camera into the hands of the brand. The captured moments go straight into the brand's content library — structured with the right metadata and tags, ready to use — without any manual uploading or chasing attendees.
What's still open
We saw enough during Sparks to believe the core experience works. The real question now is what it takes to bring this to a real event, with a real audience and real brand stakes. Most concretely: Could Lens pilot at Hive, Frontify's annual company offsite?
There are also a few open questions, including how to onboard first-time Lens users and who owns the copyright of the uploaded photos.
If you work on events, brand activation, or content collection, or if any of this connects to something you're thinking about, I'd love to hear from you.
We set out to capture content. What surprised us was the moment people stopped to watch it appear, together.
Curious about anything we're building (beyond Sparks)? We'd love to hear from you.
