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PROJECT
transparent things would have been a bit messy
because you’d have been able to see the inside of
their hats, for example.
At first, we played with a matt version of the
pills and it was quite lovely, but in the end we felt
it was too abstract and ‘otherly’. We wanted the
pills and supplements to have the aesthetic of the
real thing. In the end the qualities of capsules and
the way light reacts with them was a gift – it has a
wonderful quality. We wanted them to be tactile
too; this adds to their warmth and likeability.
I’m not sure we can point to one source of
inspiration for the animation style, just a lifetime
of watching animation and the humour of
inanimate objects having characters. It’s nice to
throw them around a bit as well. Maybe even be a
little bit mean to them. Create friction. Friction is
always good in a story.THE VERDICT
Sarah Humphreys
During this project there was lots of collaboration
between all the parties involved. We had regular
calls and check-ins with Job, Joris & Marieke
working back and forth to perfect the style of the
3D animation. The client wasn’t involved in all
of those conversations, but were brought in at
key points to sign off and move things on to the
next phase.
Nailing the right character faces was definitely
the biggest challenge. They had to look friendlybut not childish, like pills but not too real, and
subtly different from character to character as
though they were part of the same family. The
eyes and mouths were especially tricky.
Our client at Healthspan loves the work.
Its entire business is so excited by the campaign
and feel that we’ve really nailed the character
of the company. It has even painted the office
entrance in the new brand colour with the
characters on the wall.
We’ve had some great responses from
people who’ve seen the campaign. All the key
measures of trust, likeability and quality have
increased dramatically, and the campaign has
increased awareness across the target market
such that Healthspan has moved ahead of two
of its main rivals. The company has over 200
products, and we’re excited to be adding to the
world of characters and telling new stories about
the brand.ABOVE
isobel delivered a
30-second animation
as well as a series
of print posters
promoting the brand.
“WE WANTED
THE PILLS AND
SUPPLEMENTS
TO HAVE THE
AESTHETIC OF
THE REAL THING”