Don Porfirio TV: We were responsible for the 2D and 3D animation of the campaign of the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) by Jumex in the US

The Mexican design studio specialized in broadcast design and motion graphics, Don Porfirio, was in charge of the animation of the Día de Muertos campaign Keeping the Taste of Tradition Alive that the brand Jumex in the US in 2023, with which they sought to connect the Hispanic audience with one of the most iconic and happy Mexican traditions This campaign is the most important one this year for the brand and is one of the most outstanding for the studio.

“The Mexican agency Catorce Días invited us to the project. They have a Jumex account in the US. The topic of the campaign was the Día de Muertos, which spreads Mexican roots abroad, for people outside the country to understand, and get to know and for Mexicans abroad to remain rooted in those traditions. They made a limited edition of five cans, with the intention of making the most of the visual line of the cans that have a lot of illustrations and character, and that’s why they called us to make pieces with a strong graphic component, as well as animation and design, taking it to an audiovisual level” explained Puig.

The producer highlighted that based on the idea (as part of Mexican tradition) that when a person dies he goes to the underworld, but not as a dark place, but one where there is a party, fun, and color: “That is the origin of this creative idea of taking the cans to the underworld, one of which is missing for Catrina to finish setting up the altar of the Day of the Dead. A symbology is made of the same thing that is happening in the real world, that it is also happening in the underworld, that everyone is getting ready to set up the altar and celebrate the day”.

This campaign not only had spots, but they also made different content to keep the campaign alive for a couple of weeks, with different visual concepts to help present the design of the cans, “always in the graphic line of the agency and the product. It is an interesting branding and storytelling job that generated a very rich result, which engages a great deal in social media and has a good response and great impact. It has become one of the agency’s and Jumex’s most important campaigns”.

As for the animation process, Puig explained that Don Porfirio made the character design, “from the storyboard for all the storytelling, the conceptual art that gave us the essence, the mood of the piece, the atmosphere we were going to work and in which the characters were going to live in, up to the execution, that is a combination between traditional 3D and 2D. There is a great deal of 2D animation in the work of particles and fluids, on the same side of the can that is animated, and, on the other hand, a lot of 3D both in characters and in stages, in addition to all the musicalization, audio design, that comes from the direction, in which we worked with different studios outside of Mexico as collaborators”.
The creative director did not miss the opportunity to mention that beyond seeing the positive results with this work, “the collaboration formula is very important. The agency Catorce Días, who called us with the aim of building together, chose us not only as an executor of ideas but as a contributor and trusted our experience and knowledge of techniques. The production house La Facultad also joined in the part of Live Action. That is where the magic starts”.

Don Porfirio, for its part, created six pieces in addition to a kit of graphic elements in a period of approximately six weeks.

The distinctive component of this campaign resides in the careful branding job that covers the creation of five collection designs and a deep exploration of 3D animation. This meticulous approach translates into a piece that awakens emotions and creativity, paying tribute to one of the most emblematic festivities of Mexican culture. The Jumex can become the culminating piece of the offering, kicking off the Day of the Dead celebration and reminding us that life and death are intrinsically intertwined in a celebration of existence.