This campaign tells the story of how Clover dairy products are made by a family of fantastical characters living in the Milky Way.
Each creature has a particular role and skill on the production line, and their devotion ensures that each product is made with care and love. We were approached in the early stages of this campaign to develop the concept, world and characters that inhabit the Milky Way and make milk, cream, butter and cheese. As fantastical as the inhabitants of this universe are, they each serve a very specific role and purpose, so we carefully researched the actual production-line of these products before developing the characters. The Beakies, for example, have long giraffe-like necks and beaks that resemble knives perfect for cutting cheese. The Twirling Tina’s have whisks instead of legs that churn cream as they dance, while our Tots snuggle up to massive milk pail silos, heating up the milk to ensure that it stays fresher for longer.
Prompted by the client’s request to speak to the theme of hygiene, we opted for the clean and sparkling palates of white and gold, using materials such as porcelain, ceramics and shiny metallic surfaces. As a playful counterpoint to this, we added the bright and cheerful aesthetic of the carnival with colourful maypoles, fairy lights, happy characters and a generally delightful atmosphere. The recognisable red and blue colours of the Clover brand were added throughout the environment, with logos incorporated into the buildings and decorations.
Our production process began with us creating simple line drawings of characters that might inhabit the Milky Way. After choosing the ones that worked best, we fleshed them out as detailed designs which were then coloured. Special attention was given as to how each design would be textured and coloured, and we spent a lot of time gathering references and researching the types of materials that would work best. We even scanned real, hand-knitted blankets! The characters and main environmental elements were then modeled in 3D, while matte paintings were created as environmental backgrounds and extensions. Special effects artists spent weeks making sure the liquids such as the milk and cream looked just right and all the animation was done using XSI. Finally, all our elements were comped beautifully together, resulting in the final piece.
