Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes
an epic collaboration featuring your favorite superheroes
OVERVIEW
This Coca Cola and Marvel collaboration was all about giving fans collectible cans and an Augmented Reality experience of their favorite heroes.
Client: The Coca-Cola Company
Timeframe: Winter 2023 - Spring 2024
MY ROLE – STORYBOARD ARTIST
As part of the storyboarding team, I played a key role in bringing the characters to life– this involved creating sketches to capture their entrance, idle state, and interactions. I also collaborated on brainstorming sessions to define their actions whenever needed and created placement maps to guide character positioning and scene composition. To maintain project organization, I also helped streamline the Figma file.
My responsibilities also extended to providing feedback to the animators, ensuring the final models and animations aligned with the original character illustrations and the storyboards. We needed illustrated 2D backgrounds for some characters’ intro sequences, I took on the challenge to create these artworks, this resulted in the illustrations used in 3 of the characters intro sequences.
SKILLS & TOOLS
The Concept
The idea behind this epic collaboration was to mix these 2 world renowed brands and connect with fans all over the globe. We included iconic Marvel characters on Coca-Cola packaging, encouraging fans to buy and collect bottles and cans to get their favorite heroes and villains. Beyond the physical purchase, we designed an AR Experience that allowed them to take a closer look at these characters and interact with them.
The process is the following: Someone buys a product, scans the QR code that takes them to the website we designed, scans the character on the product, they see an animation/interacting featuring that character, and it then gets added to their collection linked to their Coca Cola account.
Featured Characters
Creating the storyboards
For the AR Experience, we had the characters animated following a short sequence: Introduction, Idle Animation and User Interaction. The idea was to have them performing actions and acting in line with the true nature of that character, meaning all characters had individual animations that needed to be made. Before jumping straight into the 3D Animation, we first needed to storyboard these character narratives-- here's where me and my team come in :)
The Base Sequence:
Intro
Idle
Interaction
Highlights
All storyboards
Assets & Exploration
Beyond just the character animations, we had to take into account any effects, props, environmental assets and text/overlays. For some of these a lot of research and reference collecting was necessary, so I could then ideate based on it, keeping everything cohesive within the Marvel universe.
Additionally, we did Placement Maps for each character, to have a better idea and guide the animators as to where the character is in space, and the effects & props that appear around them.
Illustrations
For some character's intros we needed a 2D Overlay, and created illustrations to go along with it. We created the storyboards, and then the illustrations in a layered file and had the animation team bring it to life.
Cable
Storyboard
Illustration
Final Look
Moon Knight
Storyboard
Illustration
Final Look
Black Panther (Shuri)
Final Look
Storyboard
Illustration
The Experience
How It Works
All about the fans and the beloved Marvel franchise, this experience boils down to these steps:
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Starting off with Scanning – by scanning the QR code on the Coca-Cola product, access the website where you launch the AR Experience. With your camera, scan the character on the packaging.
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Then we get to the fun part -- Enjoy! You will see the character you scanned come to life, and you'll be able to interact with it and save it as part of your collection.
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Lastly, Collecting– why stop at one? Expand the Marvel Universe and collect more products to unlock different characters! Pro-tip: Some characters unlock special scenes when scanned together 👀
Impact
1.95 Billion
Global Impressions
5.29 Million
Earned Social Impressions
50
Countries launched around the world
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Learnings & Reflections
Flexing my sketching and illustration muscles
I've always loved drawing and doing illustration in my free time and I've always beem a Marvel fan, so when I was recruited for this project as part of the storyboarding team, I was ecstatic to participate and get to draw some of my favorite characters
Raising my hand and assuming challenges
When discussing the 2D Overlays/Illustrations we needed, the team commented on the option of hiring external illustrators to take that on. Upon hearing this, wanting to use and showcase my illustration skills, I offered to give it a try, and if they liked it, I'd be happy to do the rest. They loved it and I ended up doing the illustrations needed for the overlays.
First time as part of such a big campaign
Fresh out of my internship and now as a full-time designer, this was the first project of this scale I was part of, so it was a great feeling getting to work on a campaign with such a big reach.