3 Body problem | social Creative
art direction
2023-2024
In 2023 Digital Media Management began work on Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, an adaptation of the international bestselling series of novels by Cixin Liu. For this project I oversaw the entire scope of our creatives, from the pitch in early 2023 through the pre-launch, launch and sustain periods surrounding the release in March 2024. During this 9+month process I developed a visual approach and creative strategy for our proposal, led the visual development process to build on and solidify our creative concepts from the pitch, oversaw the development of an AV graphics package for Netflix creative partners, and then led the production of creative assets, making sure that all of our creatives would achieve our goals of drawing in audiences by teasing the mystery and intrigue of the 3 Body Problem series.
What I’m most proud of from my work on this project is how collaborative the process was between the DMM creative team and our client partners at Netflix; the visual approach developed by DMM influenced Netflix’s own creative development for key art, a microsite developed to drive intrigue ahead of the series, and visuals for a “You Are Bugs” global activation Netflix launched on March 25, 2024.
To date, DMM has created over 50 pieces of social creative and has helped grow 3 Body Problem’s following on social, to over 25 thousand followers on Instagram and over 10 thousand followers on X. Currently 3 Body Problem is the #1 series on Netflix and fans around the world are demanding when to expect a season 2.
Created at Digital Media Management for Netflix.
AV Creative
The DMM creative team was responsible for producing more than a dozen AV creatives with the goals of introducing 3 Body Problem’s ensemble of characters, hinting at the mystery at the heart of the storyline, and also thrilling viewers by showcasing some of the most exciting moments of the series. I was responsible for making sure that all of our AV content hit these objectives and created “thumb stopping” moments for fans scrolling in their IG feed and reels. Final pieces created by Sr. Motion Designers Jackii Chavarria and Amber Robledo, as well as Sr. Video Editor Kathryn Lee.
Grid Creative
Before entering the pre-launch phase of the campaign I was responsible for creative development on a number of IG grid concepts. Our final concept we landed on was to use subtle overlays of the 3-ring “San-Ti” symbol over custom video thumbnails.
The end result is a grid that can also work as eye-catching individual posts in-feed but reveal a hidden interconnected image in grid view.
Eagle-eyed fans quickly caught on to the hidden imagery in our grid, which helped build anticipation for the series launch and encourage fans to keep a close watch on 3 Body Problem’s socials for more hidden messages or clues.
The DMM creative team was also responsible for developing a smaller grid triptych to be posted around the series launch in support of a series of “YOU ARE BUGS” stunt activations. These static graphics were used as thumbnails for 3 AV pieces created by Netflix. Designed by Graphic Designer Lisa La.
Going Deeper
To tease at the mystery of 3 Body Problem and encourage fans to follow along closely, we developed a series of graphics for X (formerly Twitter) that used the automatic image cropping ratio to incorporate hidden messages in photos that could only be revealed when clicked through. Designed by Graphic Designers Lisa La and Luiz Leite.
Review Graphics
Ahead of the premiere of 3 Body Problem at SXSW, I was responsible for developing a look and feel for a series of review shells to spotlight press and fan reactions. After the premiere we expanded on this initial round of review graphics to create 3 more sets of assets, including static review graphics as well motion graphics that cleverly incorporated the review copy into thumb-stopping clips of the show. These pieces were created by Sr. Graphic Designer Scott Campbell and Sr. Motion Designer Jackii Chavarria.
Hidden Imagery
To play into the idea of reality breaking (a central theme of 3 Body Problem), I led the creative process for developing a set of graphics inspired by the trend of AI-generated images with hidden messages.
The end result is an image that appears to be a normal episodic photo, but reveals a hidden symbol (for example, the 3-ring symbol of the San-Ti) upon closer view.
The main challenge for these graphics was replicating the effect created with the processing power of an AI generator but with human effort of the DMM creative team.
The final piece was created by Graphic Designer Dodge Williams.
“YOU ARE BUGS” Recap Asset
After the launch of 3 Body Problem, Netflix launched a global series of activations, both online and OOH, centered around the pivotal “YOU ARE BUGS” moment from episode 5. From billboards on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles to the Las Vegas Sphere, from Times Square in NYC to Australia, hundreds of screens, billboards, and brand channels were “hacked” to reveal the “YOU ARE BUGS” messaging. DMM supported this massive series of activations by creating a recap asset that combined clips from the pivotal moment in the show with captured footage from the different activations. I was responsible for overseeing the creation of this asset and actively involved in collaborating with DMM video editors, asset managers and project managers, as well as regularly communicating with client to receive real-time feedback on the asset and set timing expectations around a very time-sensitive asset. The final edit was created by Video Editor Curtis Kent.
Graphics Package
Part of our work on this project involved developing an AV graphics package that Netflix could use and share with their creative partners. The package included templates for transitions, title cards, lower thirds, and captions.
I led the visual development process for this project, which included creating several visual approaches for the graphics package, pitching ideas to client, and then receiving feedback on our concepts through several rounds of revisions. Throughout this process I worked closely with our creative team in the creation of the final assets.
To the right is an example of a caption template we created as part of that package.
Final assets were created with the help of Sr. Motion Designers Jackii Chavarria and Amber Robledo.
Style frame for a transition effect I designed during the visual development process. Not final.
Final Transmissions
Below is a series of graphics I created in 2019 when I first listened to the audiobook of The Three Body Problem. I really enjoyed the book and was inspired to create a piece of original work after listening to the “countdown” passages.
When I started work on the pitch for the Netflix series four years later I felt that I already had a vision of the show in my head from years earlier, and it was an extremely rewarding experience to help bring this show to life on social and to turn those initial ideas into something much larger and far-reaching than I could have imagined. I even used one of these pieces in a mood board for the visual approach during our pitch.
To date this has been one of my favorite campaigns I’ve worked on in my career, and a great learning process for how to lead a creative campaign.
