braincells

As our cells are getting ready to head off for a recharge, we wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and joyful Christmas. Thank you for all your support in 2024. We can't wait to hit the ground running with some exciting projects in the new year.

Our bags are almost packed and we're getting ready to head off for the year! 🚐 The office will be closed from 12pm Friday December 20th, reopening Monday January 6th.

We wanted to add a little personal touch to our Christmas cards this year, so we got everyone in the office to draw themselves... Here are the results!

Case Study: Animation Sandbox – Monsutā When braincells asked us to animate Monsutā, we were excited to dive into a project inspired by Japan’s kaiju culture. The brand already had artwork, including its iconic sumo character. Our job was to adapt the look into an engaging animated story that stayed true to its identity. We drew from Japanese woodblock prints like The Great Wave off Kanagawa, blending traditional styles with bold pop-art visuals. The result was an animation that felt fresh while honoring the established brand. Our Team: Executive Producer: Clint Logan Storyboards & Background Assets: Stephen Grant Director, Animator, Lighting & Character Design: Taeyn Nossiter 3D Elements & VFX: Matt Kerley We’re proud of how the project came together, balancing creative exploration with brand consistency. Have a story you want to bring to life? Let’s talk. www.thesandbox.com.au #AnimationProduction #BrandStorytelling #CreativeExecution #AnimationSandbox

The premium Japanese beer market made a name for itself by pushing Japanese made quality. However, in more recent years more and more Japanese beer brands have moved brewing operations off shore, making it harder for Australian drinkers to find the Japanese-brewed beverages they’ve always loved. Pinnacle Drinks saw this as an opportunity to give Australian drinkers premium Japanese made beers and RTDs. This brand was called Monsutā, a homage to the kaiju culture in Japan, using giant sumo illustrations as the core brand asset. It offered a fresh and more youthful take on Japanese beer & RTD when compared to the traditional brands such as Asahi or Sapporo. While many brands offer Japanese recipes and heritage, Monsutā is one of the few that can give drinkers a true taste of Japan, because it’s made in Japan. So, we looked to develop a campaign that clearly established Monsuta as authentically Japanese while still having the same energy as the brand’s unique visual identity. We landed on the line “Taste Japan” as a simple yet powerful call to action which clearly communicates the brand’s promise. Visually we then built off the line utilising the brand illustrations, developed by brand & packaging agency Creative Platform, to create a whole Monsutā world to work as the brand’s visual representation of Japan. An important element of this project was pushing the energy of the brand without losing the premium quality associated with the product. So, we looked to treat the illustrations as refined artwork with the inclusion of the kanji strip and border to elevate the look and feel of the brand. This style was pushed even further in the BVOD commercial, utilising a texture common in classic Japanese cinema. The campaign was rolled out nationally across billboards, adshells, point of sale, BVOD and digital, utilising media locations with a close proximity to BWS and Dan Murphy’s to try and drive up awareness for potential shoppers. Full case study & TVC: https://lnkd.in/gWT6hG3w Client: Pinnacle Drinks Client Lead: George Stupart Packaging & Illustration: Creative Platform Post Production: Sandbox Productions

In October 2023 we launched the brand LARGO Brewing, a partnership between Pinnacle Drinks and Australian rockers Oli & Louis Leimbach from Lime Cordiale. The brand was built off the personality of the boys and leveraged their influence amongst their core group of fans. For the Summer of 24/25, Pinnacle Drinks saw an opportunity to raise the prompted awareness of the brand with Australian lager drinkers, pushing the quality of the liquid while still tying into the aspirational lifestyle of the two brand ambassadors. The mainstream Australian lager market is dominated by traditional, long-standing brands. They give drinkers a feeling of trust and nostalgia knowing they’re getting a no-nonsense quality Australian lager that they love. Early on we identified that LARGO’s brand identity doesn’t resonate with classic lager drinkers in the same way. So we sought to create a campaign that would show mainstream lager drinkers that LARGO is just as crisp and refreshing as the lagers they love, it just looks a little bit different. While we were in the process of crafting lines and graphics for the ad campaign, we were informed that LARGO Clean Lager won Best Australian Light Lager at the World Beer Awards in the UK. Straight away we looked at the best way to leverage this recognition of the quality of the beer to resonate with lager drinkers. We landed on the line “It’s a banger” talking to the quality of the product as well as winking to the music connection through the boys from Lime Cordiale. Visually, we took cues from classic beer advertising, most notably in the BVOD commercial where we used a saturated film treatment of a beer being poured. This looked to draw in lager drinkers through beer nostalgia, showing them that this modern-looking lager tastes as good as their old favourites. Full case study: https://lnkd.in/gSm4UFXB Videographer: Torstein Dyrting ACS Lifestyle Videography: Tim Swallow Photography: Craig Kinder Food Styling: Laurie Perry Post Production: Sandbox Productions Client Lead: George Stupart Client: Pinnacle Drinks

MyPlaceIQ is the next gen innovation from Advantage Air – a family-owned, operated & locally produced Australian tech business, who have been pioneers in air-con and home smarts for over 30 years. In this time Advantage Air have earned a reputation for producing reliable, world-class products that make daily life easier and more comfortable. Advantage Air approached braincells to create a brand campaign to support the launch of MyPlaceIQ. Working off the insight that people often “fighting like cats and dogs over the temperature”, we looked to emphasise the core benefits of MyPlaceIQ by leveraging household pets to demonstrate the comfort, control and energy efficiency you get from MyPlaceIQ. The result was Tom and Francoise, a cat and dog who have become best friends since their mum got MyPlaceIQ. To bring Tom and Francoise to life, we worked with award-winning French animation production house, Illogic. The end result was two lifelike brand mascots that could be used as a communication device for not only the launch but future campaigns as well. We developed a 30 second TV ad that focused on energy efficiency and smart control, as well as a 15 second TV ad that showcased how MyPlaceIQ could be integrated with solar to save you even more on your bills. Tom and Francoise are also featured across radio, billboards, adshells, and digital ads across all the major national markets. Watch 30sec TVC: https://lnkd.in/gQBzmggM Watch 15sec TVC: https://lnkd.in/gn-eWpQu Full case study: https://lnkd.in/gZXyjdNP Braincells Creative Creative Director, Braincells – Jeff Champtaloup Project Director, Braincells – Andrea Bennett Project Manager, Braincells – Alexandra Cobb Partner Agencies Creative Prod Company: Unlisted Director: Illogic Sound House: Gusto Media – Match & Wood Digital – Bang Digital Insights & Strategy – Metrix Consulting PR – GT Communications Wizz Producer – Claire Madigan Producer – Pat Dedal Talent Cat: Colin Cassidy with EM Voices Dog: Natasha Beaumont with RMK Voices

MyPlaceIQ is the next gen innovation from Advantage Air – a family-owned, operated & locally produced Australian tech business, who have been pioneers in air-con and home smarts for over 30 years. In this time Advantage Air have earned a reputation for producing reliable, world-class products that make daily life easier and more comfortable. Advantage Air approached braincells to create a brand campaign to support the launch of MyPlaceIQ. Working off the insight that people often “fighting like cats and dogs over the temperature”, we looked to emphasise the core benefits of MyPlaceIQ by leveraging household pets to demonstrate the comfort, control and energy efficiency you get from MyPlaceIQ. The result was Tom and Francoise, a cat and dog who have become best friends since their mum got MyPlaceIQ. To bring Tom and Francoise to life, we worked with award-winning French animation production house, Illogic. The end result was two lifelike brand mascots that could be used as a communication device for not only the launch but future campaigns as well. We developed a 30 second TV ad that focused on energy efficiency and smart control, as well as a 15 second TV ad that showcased how MyPlaceIQ could be integrated with solar to save you even more on your bills. Tom and Francoise are also featured across radio, billboards, adshells, and digital ads across all the major national markets. Watch 30sec TVC: https://lnkd.in/gQBzmggM Watch 15sec TVC: https://lnkd.in/gn-eWpQu Full case study: https://lnkd.in/gZXyjdNP Braincells Creative Creative Director, Braincells – Jeff Champtaloup Project Director, Braincells – Andrea Bennett Project Manager, Braincells – Alexandra Cobb Partner Agencies Creative Prod Company: Unlisted Director: Illogic Sound House: Gusto Media – Match & Wood Digital – Bang Digital Insights & Strategy – Metrix Consulting PR – GT Communications Wizz Producer – Claire Madigan Producer – Pat Dedal Talent Cat: Colin Cassidy with EM Voices Dog: Natasha Beaumont with RMK Voices

There’s nothing like getting to work with some of the best in the business - the Penrith Panthers , MyPlace and Sandbox Productions! Our latest TV spot for MyPlaceIQ leveraged some of the Penrith Panthers’ biggest personalities, including the hilarious Brian “Bizza” To’o, to showcase the super smart ways you can control your air-con, lights, garage and blinds from the smart control app. Director: Jack Connell Executive Producer: Clint Logan Production: Sandbox Productions Full press release: https://lnkd.in/gzuAs2di

Stellar Distributors are a wholesale importer and distributor of some the most well-known international foods and confectionary in the world with warehouses strategically located in the eastern states, as well as a growing national sales team. They approached braincells to create a brand identity with the power and strength of a globally leading company. While Stellar are leading professionals in their field, the products that they supply are often associated with fun and joy. With this in mind, we looked to develop a brand identity that not only demonstrated the strength and professionalism of the business, but also nodded to the fun and joy that customers get when they enjoy their products. The final logo focuses on several coloured elements that form together to create a central star, with each block representing the broad range of products that they source from around the world. Meanwhile, the choice of colour palate and typography looks to evoke a feeling of joy and nostalgia, drawing on the classic candy store aesthetic to add some more energy to the brand. With an identity that encompasses both fun and professionalism, the brand was then rolled out across the website, LinkedIn and business cards. Full case study: https://lnkd.in/dTGaEdf9