Pantera Press: Colour your world with synaesthesia.

When Pantera Press came to us wanting to do something special for the pending release of J.M. Donellan’s novel, Killing Adonis, we knew this was going to be a different kind of campaign.

We wanted to create something memorable for Killing Adonis readers.

The book’s protagonist, Freya Miller, is a nurse and a synaesthete. Synaesthesia is a neurological condition where two or more senses collide into one sensory experience. In other words, Freya sees sound in colour. Pretty cool, huh?

The campaign is designed to connect the book with technology. And what better way to do this than give readers the chance to experience synaesthesia for themselves.

There are two vital factors that we needed to make sure we hit the mark. The first was user experience and the second was device accessibility. Social media is the key activation.

We built a dedicated site that works across mobile, tablet and desktop. Users type their message into the synaesthesia emulator. As they type each letter, a piano note plays and a corresponding colour matching the note appears. Users can then share their message through social media using the hashtag #killingadonis. We’re encouraging people to get creative with their messages – even posting messages using the emulator to friends’ walls.

The site uses HTML Canvas, along with a Canvas 2D Context and howler.js to make the colours and piano notes work on any device. It’s pretty exciting that this technology is now compatible with current browser environments. Previously, it would have been only used in proof of concept or demo site projects.

So go on – colour your world with synaesthesia. Share a message with friends and not only see what it looks like, but what your words sound like.