Shiseido Americas - Sustainability
Shiseido Americas sought to share a vital message of sustainability as they worked towards 100% renewably sourced energy for the brand. Our 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.
Working within Shiseido’s vibrant color palette, and utilizing bold text and iconography, we were able to deliver a clear message that highlighted an important goal while extending brand awareness.
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.
Here’s how we told their story.
Sustainable and Striking
Tackling a complex issue such as the climate crisis in under 90 seconds was a big challenge in and of itself. Before we could delver the message, we needed to get people’s attention. Our team first created a striking visual language to draw the viewer in and keep them watching.
We utilized a minimal color palette, emphasizing Shiseido's distinctive red. This not only reinforced their brand identity, but helped to underscore the urgency of the message.
We poured 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.
We kept things simple to honor those early stylized illustrations as well as to make it easier to take in the on screen text. A little bit of texture was added to help with shading and to connect to the powder makeup foundation of the business.
Dynamic Kinetics
We crafted intricate movements and seamless transitions to retain audience attention and engagement.
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.
Version 1
Version 2
Final Version
Doing Their Part
The final video plays at Shiseido America's updated global offices in NYC.
Credits
Client: Shiseido Americas
Production Company: Elevation
Creative Direction: Stephen Cocks
Executive Producer: Steph Carson
Art Director: Dianne Frisbee
Artist/Animator: Javier Miranda