Tchibo
“Brighten up your thoughts” connected Tchibo Exclusive coffee with the sense of clarity that comes with a good cup. The live-action film expressed the idea through actors. I created and produced the CGI part of the campaign from start to finish, carrying the same thought into product-focused key visuals, print materials and a 10-second animated sequence. It became a full visual extension of the campaign, not a separate technical add-on.
The CGI needed to feel like part of the same idea as the live-action film while giving the products a world of their own. Coffee had to look rich and appetising, every pack and object needed to stay accurate, and the same minimal visual language had to work across two very different scales.
I used light as the link between the idea and every image. A focused beam revealed the coffee products in intimate sets, then expanded into a larger brand-blue stage for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. One shared CGI asset set kept print and motion visually connected.
The emotional starting point was familiar: the moment when a cup of coffee helps everything feel a little clearer.
The CGI translated that feeling into light, space and movement. In the film, the scene grows from the coffee ritual into the reveal of the grand prize, giving the sequence a clear sense of progression while keeping attention on the products.
I created a shared CGI library for the print and motion parts of the campaign.
It included coffee packs in different sizes and formats, coffee beans, the distinctive Tchibo cup, a moka pot and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Each asset needed enough detail for close print renders and enough flexibility to work with camera movement in animation.
The key visuals translated the idea of brightening thoughts into still images.
Each coffee variety received its own composition and color mood, while the focused light, minimal set and premium character remained consistent.
The goal was to balance exact packaging with the warmth, detail and appetite appeal expected from a coffee campaign.
Each composition started with a simple greybox used to define scale, camera and product hierarchy.
I then developed the materials and lighting, rendered the scene and completed the final image in retouch.
The products had to remain true to their real form, while the coffee needed to feel warm, rich and ready to enjoy.
The 10-second CGI sequence expanded the same visual world into motion.
It moved from intimate coffee scenes into a much larger, brand-blue environment built around the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the grand prize of the campaign.
The scale changed completely, but the minimal design, controlled light and product-focused composition kept both worlds connected.
The most important step in the process is to define the camera and timing. Especially when creating CGI additions to a full live-action campaign movie.