Imagine climbing into a beach buggy and traveling to a tropical paradise inspired by one of the fashion world’s leading designer collections — all without moving an inch.
International digital design studio and brand strategy consulting firm L+R brought this exact concept to life for a Louis Vuitton pop-up event on Madison Avenue in New York City using personalized virtual reality (VR).
The VR experience enhanced the luxury brand’s storytelling through an immersive digital experience, connecting the virtual world with their renowned craftsmanship, says L+R’s founding member Alex Levin.
In our interview, Alex shares how L+R has leveraged emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), VR, and blockchain to redefine brand storytelling and enhance brand experiences.
Who Is Alex Levin?
Alex is a founding member and Director of Strategy at L+R, where he has led strategic initiatives that merge design, technology, and business to drive impactful results. At L + R, he focuses on ideation, digital strategy, and creating solutions that foster innovation and business growth.
Alex credits his ambition and personal drive as essential to how he leads his team, emphasizing that both qualities play a crucial role in their ability to consistently innovate, explore new technologies, and push boundaries in design and strategy.
“At L+R, we’ve built a culture around balancing strategic thinking with creative exploration. This balance guides how we approach every project, especially when introducing emerging technologies like spatial computing, AI, and blockchain.
My focus is always on utility — how can we bring real, measurable value to our clients while staying true to our humanistic principles?”
“Technology should never be a gimmick — it must elevate the brand’s narrative and values, and in this case, we ensured that the virtual experience added depth without detracting from the core identity,” he says.
Using AI to Reshape Brand Narratives
Between 2022 and 2023, generative AI (Gen AI) saw a 700% spike in Google searches, with prompts expanding from 100,000 to 2 million tokens. McKinsey data compares this jump to the difference between adding one research paper to a model prompt and adding 20 novels.
This rapid growth catalyzed over $36 billion in equity investments in AI in 2023, driving significant innovation in the industry.
“AI has the potential to revolutionize narrative structures by creating more dynamic, personalized, and adaptive content,” Alex points out.
L+R’s work with Warner Bros. Advanced Narratives, a division of Warner Bros. Television, gives us a glimpse into the future of storytelling.
Advanced Narratives uses AI and emerging technologies to reshape the classic choose-your-own-adventure storytelling format into an immersive, web3 entertainment experience.
For this project, L+R implemented real-time feedback to adjust the stories to viewers’ conscious and subconscious feedback. Additionally, users can mint a unique image of themselves as an NFT “key” to unlock feature content.
View this post on Instagram
“Imagine stories that evolve in real-time based on audience interaction, or characters that develop unique traits depending on individual viewer preferences.
AI opens doors to endless possibilities in immersive entertainment, where storytelling can become a two-way dialogue between creator and audience,” he adds.
Taking Ownership of Digital Designs
Despite all the opportunities that AI can create for agencies, many in the industry express concerns about authorship and intellectual property.
The World Economic Forum believes that copyright law will need to be “further imagined and redefined” to recognize a machine as its own entity with independent authority.
At L+R, Alex views AI as a tool to support human creativity rather than replace it.
“It’s crucial that creators maintain ownership of their work, even when AI is involved in the process. Establishing clear frameworks for how AI-generated content is attributed and compensated will be key in resolving these debates,” he explains.
According to Alex, web3 and blockchain are reshaping how we think about digital ownership and user experience by distributing control and giving users more power over their data, digital assets, and value.
For designers, this means creating safe and secure interfaces that encourage user autonomy.
“The implications for digital design are profound, as blockchain enables new models of interaction, personalization, and community-building that were previously unimaginable.
While it's uncertain if these technologies will fully redefine the internet, they are already transforming how we approach ownership, identity, and interaction, especially when paired with advancements in generative AI,” Alex explains.
Adapting to Emerging Technologies
The importance of aligning business objectives and ensuring organization-wide education to address the implications of AI and blockchain effectively cannot be overstated.
Alex says the key is to foster a collaborative, cross-departmental approach to avoid relegating technology initiatives to IT or tech teams alone. This builds comfort and competence across the organization.
“Begin with casual special interest groups to identify individuals who are eager to grow within the emerging tech space. From there, expand with expert guest speakers or hire emerging technology educational consultants — something L+R offers,” he adds.
Once aligned, bringing in an external team to co-create proof-of-concept projects is crucial.
This allows you to practically demonstrate how new technologies can enhance your business, whether your goal is revenue growth, operational efficiency, or positioning your brand as an innovator. Your technology roadmap should always be in sync with your overarching business goals,” Alex says.
He stresses that this is an ongoing process, not a one-off project.
“It requires flexibility, continuous experimentation, and a strategy grounded in data and real user insights. Staying agile and keeping the entire organization engaged is key to successfully navigating this evolution,” he explains.
Although Alex sees digital design becoming increasingly immersive, accessible, and interactive over the next five to 10 years, he says it will still require careful stewardship to maintain foundational design and humanistic principles, empathy, and aesthetics.
He emphasizes that designers must remain deeply focused on the needs of individuals engaging with these experiences.
“As emerging technologies evolve, they’ll offer new opportunities for larger brands with established trust to connect meaningfully with both their customers and, perhaps more importantly, their employees. The true challenge will be ensuring these solutions are genuinely better than before,” he says.
He adds that design will play a crucial role in creating holistic systems that leverage technology to its full potential.
“Achieving this requires collective efforts from teams where designers help deeply understand target audiences.
With the increasing ease of developing proofs-of-concept, prototypes, and rapid testing, the future of digital design will allow large brands to explore and understand the biggest opportunities with agility,” Alex says.
“Give them what they want, and tell them what they need.”
Listening carefully and offering strategic insights are key factors that have significantly influenced Alex’s approach to business and design.
He recalls a key piece of advice given to him: “Give them what they want, and tell them what they need,” which has had a profound impact on how he works with clients to ensure that the collaboration is rooted in understanding and innovation.
“Often, clients may not know exactly what they need, but it’s essential to ensure they feel heard and understood. By showing that you're genuinely listening and comprehending their goals, you build trust.
Then, you can guide the conversation toward solutions that dive deeper into their core objectives. It’s about balancing their vision with your expertise to create something that not only meets expectations but exceeds them through thoughtful, strategic improvements,” he explains.
He extends this advice to young entrepreneurs venturing into tech and design — emphasizing to never lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
“Passion is important, but it’s not enough on its own. You need to be persistent and keep evolving your skills and perspectives,” he says.
He also believes that surrounding yourself with a diverse, talented team is crucial — and that failure is part of innovation.
Watch our video to learn why CEOs should mess up the most — and care the least about it:
As you adapt to the ever-changing world of digital design, remember to focus on education and cross-collaboration when embracing technologies like AI and blockchain.
Prioritizing human connections will ensure that your innovation drives progress, and also strengthen relationships with your audience and team.
