MGK x Dossier Case Study

Project Overview

This self-directed Blender case study was created to push my motion design capabilities in the luxury product space. The goal was to create a visually striking fragrance commercial that balances dark, edgy aesthetics with the elegance expected of high-end perfume advertising.

Technical Approach

The entire project was built from scratch in Blender, utilizing:

• •Cycles render engine for photorealistic glass and liquid materials
• •Mantaflow fluid simulation for dynamic liquid effects
• •HDRI lighting combined with custom area lights for dramatic studio setups
• •Procedural textures and PBR materials for realistic surface rendering
• •Geometry nodes for particle-based environmental effects

Visual Direction

The visual language draws from contemporary luxury advertising while incorporating darker, more rebellious elements that align with the MGK brand identity. Key design decisions include:

• •High-contrast lighting with deep shadows and selective highlights
• •Monochromatic color palette with strategic accent colors
• •Slow, deliberate camera movements that emphasize product details
• •Liquid simulations that convey both luxury and dynamism
• •Typography integration using kinetic text animations

Animation & Compositing

The animation workflow combined keyframe animation with physics-based simulations. Post-production was handled in After Effects for editing and compositing, with additional passes for lens effects, motion blur, and final color treatment to achieve the cinematic commercial look.

Key Learnings

This project reinforced several important motion design principles:

• •The importance of pre-visualization and storyboarding for complex 3D sequences
• •Optimization techniques for rendering glass and liquid materials efficiently
• •Balancing artistic vision with technical constraints in simulation work
• •The value of iteration—the final product went through multiple lighting and animation passes

Tools Used

Blender 5.0 (modeling, animation, rendering), After Effects (editing, compositing, motion graphics).