Tools Used
- Photoshop
- Substance 3D Stager
Skills Demonstrated
- Complex compositing
- 3D staging
- Photoshop animating
Project Description
For this school project, I was challenged to design a piece of commercial advertising for any output, as long as it demonstrated the use of advanced compositing, 3D assets, and animation. Given these parameters, I decided to design an animated social media post for Dutch Bros’ that reveals their seasonal cold brew flavor.
Design Considerations
Based on the outgoing personality of the brand, I knew that I wanted to create a GIF that would consist of many colorful, moving parts. To tackle the compositing requirement, I created a wintry environment and used complex masking and adjustments to blend the drink and supporting objects into the scene. For the 3D component, I created assets for some chunky text, with the intent of animating the “Candy Cane” object. To rotate it centrally, I had to take over 100 renderings of the text at different angles, which I then imported into Photoshop to sequence them and create a smooth range of motion. I continued to use the animation feature within Photoshop to animate the candy cane forest and add the falling snow for texture.
Results
This project was one of the most challenging, but rewarding, experiences in my time at ASU. Being relatively new to both 3D object manipulation and Photoshop animation, thoroughly learning these tools and successfully executing this cross-media design project was a valuable trial. I ended up creating an engaging, brand-aligned advertisement that serves Dutch Bros well.
Katie Stains 