Client
Project Type
A 3D anamorphic billboard built for the debut of PANDAi — Mr DIY's new brand mascot. Most hardware brands lead with product. Mr DIY led with personality. A clumsy fall, a curtain pull, a final thumbs-up. Three moments. One character. An audience that instantly understands what it feels like to have something looking out for you.
About the project
We built the debut 3D billboard for PANDAi, Mr DIY's new mascot — and the brief was character-first, all the way. The temptation with a mascot launch is to explain the character. We did not explain PANDAi. We let PANDAi be PANDAi. Every animation cue was built around personality: the clumsy fall that makes you wince, the curtain pull that makes you lean forward, the thumbs-up that makes you smile. The emotional logic is simple. The craft behind it is not.
Key Visual
High-Detail Texture and Product Breakdown
PANDAi occupies the frame with the kind of warmth that only a well-built character can carry. The clumsy fall lands with physical comedy timing. The curtain pull builds anticipation. The thumbs-up closes with the affection the brand needed. The anamorphic depth puts the character in the space rather than on the screen — present, not illustrated.
Details
Character Animation and Emotional Timing
Character rigging built to carry PANDAi's specific proportions and personality. Animation timing developed around emotional beats rather than motion for its own sake — the comedy of the fall, the theatre of the curtain, the warmth of the thumbs-up. Composition designed for mass-market legibility at distance: clear silhouette, bold palette, immediate emotional read.
Process
Design and Animation Process
Character brief studied before any animation was developed — PANDAi's proportions, personality, and the emotional register Mr DIY needed the mascot to carry. Animation developed around three key moments: fall, curtain pull, thumbs-up. Each moment tested for the specific emotional response it needed to produce. Composition built for legibility at billboard distance. Anamorphic depth calibrated to make PANDAi feel present.
Credits
Project Lead: Harvard Yap
Creative Lead: Harvard Yap
3D / VFX Artist: decore.
