Overview
Shiseido Americas sought to share a vital message of sustainability as they work towards 100% renewably sourced energy for the brand. The brief was to tell the story of their climate-minded initiative through animation and to tell it without sound, as the animation would live on screens in public spaces.
Plan
First, introducing the importance of this initiative by illustrating facts about climate change with iconography, typography, and seamless transitions was key. After setting up this big problem, we saw how Shiseido Americas is achieving its goal through solar farms and green initiatives. Another key feature was to reinforce their brand identity by focusing on their colors. We made sure that there was a section that dominantly featured each color.
Time For Action
A global leader in cosmetics, Shiseido defines their mission as “beauty innovations for a better world.” As a company they are not only committed to making people feel beautiful, but also protecting our planet’s beauty and resources.
The goal was to translate that vital mission into a visually engaging story.
Visual Language
A minimal color palette was utilized, emphasizing Shiseido's distinctive red. This not only reinforced their brand identity but helped to underscore the urgency of the message.
Moodboard
It was very helpful pouring over Shiseido's past image campaigns for aesthetic guidance. The brand has always employed design trends of the time, like stylized flowing curves from the Art Nouveau Movement in the 1920s and innovative geometric elements of Art Deco in the 1930s. It’s easy to find inspiration from top image creators like illustrators Maeda Mitsugu and Yamana Ayao, French Artist/Designer Serge Lutens, and their current Artistic Director, James Boehmer.
Dynamic Kinetics
How do you keep an audience's attention? Show them pretty things! Let's entertain them by creating intricate movements and seamless transitions and making the piece as engaging as possible.
Here's a glimpse at the complex mix of null layers, motion paths, and layer bounding boxes in After Effects needed to creat these layered animations.
The Iterative Process
Working closely with the Shiseido America’s Corporate Communications team, we went through a series of iterations where we honed the messaging and refined the animation.
Doing Their Part
Mixing illustrations and kinetic text to show the scope of their climate initiative, the final video has been playing at Shiseido America's updated global offices in NYC.
