CD Max Zhang and his team at Flatwhite Motion (who we featured in Stash 170) deliver a joyful mix of 2D and 3D animation in this effervescent launch film for Chinese smartphone brand Vivo thru Somei Design.

Max Zhang: “With the Vivo S30 positioned as a summer ‘dopamine’ phone with a light, feminine, and upbeat vibe, we went through three rounds of storyboarding internally to make sure the tone and rhythm felt right.
 

“Balancing 2D and 3D animation was definitely the core challenge of the project, but also the most rewarding.”

 
“The first version leaned heavily on pure geometric shapes and motion; the second explored hand gestures and the energetic pop aesthetics inspired by K-Pop girl groups. Eventually, we landed on a version that balanced graphic motion with product showcase.

“One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to seamlessly integrate the graphic animation with the phone itself. We also experimented with combining 2D and 3D hands. In the end, we brought together a group of talented artists to illustrate both hands and the phone in a stylized way, this collaboration turned out to be one of the most fun parts of the process.

“Balancing 2D and 3D animation was definitely the core challenge of the project, but also the most rewarding. We’re especially fond of how the final quick-cut sequence brought all the elements together with great energy and rhythm.”
 
 

 
Client: Vivo

Agency: Somei Design

Production: Flatwhite Motion
Animation director: Max