Responses by Will Johnson, director/partner, Macauley Johnson, associate creative director and Madison Ellis, lead designer, Gentleman Scholar
Background: The purpose of the project is imaginatively showcasing the all-new 2019 Audi Q3 all across the brand’s social metaverse. The project came to life when M/H VCCP and PHD, the media agency of record representing Audi, answered the challenge to introduce the all-new Q3 to the brand’s youngest audience: millennials. On social media, the “Q3 in :03” concept focused on bringing the target audience content in the way they are natively consuming it—using :03 video in unique artistic styles to highlight the attributes of the Q3.
Reasoning: Our studio is well known for its ability to apply any combination of styles to the wide ranging specifications of leading brands and their diverse audiences. When approached with the brief calling for a millennial-targeted cross-media digital campaign, we fell in love with the openness of the ability to do what we do best: Create. Essentially, we were invited to hunt and scour for styles that surprise and delight, and then to use whatever skillset was necessary to bring the moments to life across more than a dozen unique executions, all with the Audi Q3 at the center.
Challenges: Executing tricky visual concepts flawlessly, while keeping the brand in focus. Using innovative approaches from CG to art-directed compositions to illustration and type hits our sweet spot. That’s especially true for dynamic, original content that maximizes every viable aspect ratio, resolution and canvas.
Favorite details: Exploring how animations and images can be applied to different formats and using our modular know-how to optimize stories absolutely gives us wings.
Visual influences: To land the assignment, our team created an inspiring director’s treatment, representing a guided tour through breathtaking eight-bit, mixed-media, black and white, street-art, 3-D, CG, type, abstract, stop-motion, collage and illustration references, with an original Audi Q3 campaign execution for each. We brought a refreshing mixed media style to our treatment, featuring the Q3’s beautiful angles and contours in a world painted with abstract shapes, colors and animations. Our cross-discipline storytelling lets us flow between moments smoothly and create unique frames that feel quirky and reflective of our way of thinking.
Specific demands: What made the project both harder and easier was the openness of the brief. The trust we had from both the agency and the client meant we could approach the designs and animations with a clear, open mind. But, it also meant we had to stare down the vastness of space; that open-ended question of “what do you want to make?” Which, in the end, became easier and clearer as we narrowed in on exactly how wild we could get with designs.
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