Final Mockup

M&M Branding

M&M’s uses a fun, story based branding approach that brings its colorful candies to life through playful characters. Each M&M has a unique personality, like Red being confident and Yellow being silly, which appear in humorous ads and short stories. These lighthearted interactions make the brand feel lively and relatable, turning M&M’s from just candy into a fun, character-filled experience that spreads joy and creativity.

Research

Trompe L’oeil

Also known as Trick of the Eye. Originating in ancient Greece and Rome, Trompe L’oeil is an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that depicted objects exist in three dimensions. It tricks the eye into seeing painted details as real, often making flat surfaces appear to have depth and texture.

Chocolate Appearance

Thickness

There is less contrast to the highlights and a more matte appearance, which the chocolate appear thicker

The glossiness and contrasted highlights and a slightly darker tint to the brown make the chocolate feel thinner

How Chocolate Moves

First Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

Second Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

Second Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

Chocolate is thicker than water, but when it melts it still flows, just more slowly and heavily. How it moves depends on its temperature: when solid, it keeps its shape and can snap; when partly melted, it softens, the edges droop, and it starts to drip; and when fully melted, it flows smoothly into waves, pools, or drips. Melted chocolate also has surface tension, so it forms smooth edges, rounded drops, and small peaks as it settles. As it spreads, it can break into thin streams, and its stickiness makes it cling to surfaces instead of running off right away.

Storyboards

Style Frame Exploration

First Pass

The scene was designed to hint at machinery without looking too technical. We took cues from M&M Stores, using their white tiles, yellow accents, and signature wall-mounted M&M décor. The side tubes reference the real color-sorting machine. Since the background needed more detail in this first draft, we added an extra tube and circular lights.

Second Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

Animation Passes

First Attempt by Teja Hickenbottom

The animation takes place inside a Color Mood Analyzer, a device that examines M&Ms to reveal what’s inside. When an M&M is selected, it cracks open, showing its interior and the variety of flavors hidden within. Each center is visually distinct, reflecting the unique flavor and personality of that candy, highlighting the idea that “it’s what’s inside that counts.”

The first sim test was too watery and didn’t resemble chocolate but flooding water

Second Attempt by Teja Hickenbottom

The second test was closer, but thicker than the intended feel. The viscosity makes the chocolate feel more dense.

Sim Technical Execution

In this version, Teja introduced an additional object to observe how the sim interacts with it. The collision behaved correctly, and the liquid tapers toward the middle, but it still doesn’t create distinctive V-Shaped flow you typically see in melting chocolate.

First Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

For the second pass, we brightened the lighting to better highlight the M&M as it breaks the frame and once it’s inside. We also added a wall to control the reveal between animations, redesigning it to mimic an M&M’s bag and incorporating a QR code and typography that direct viewers to the M&M’s Store website.

Concept

Second Pass

First Pass Animation by Hailey McMahon

Third Attempt by Teja Hickenbottom

Fourth Attempt by Teja Hickenbottom

In this version, I incorporated the half M&M shells to observe how the chocolate behaves around them. The sim is accumulating too much at the bottom of the right M&M, and the volume of chocolate pouring out looks unrealistic for what would be inside a real M&M.

Styleframe by Hailey McMahon

Anamorphic

Billboard

Software Used:

Houdini
Nuke
After Effects
Cinema

Design Challenge

Create a 10 to 15 second looping anamorphic billboard experience for M&M. Use anamorphic illusion and forced perspective techniques to make the product appear as if it’s physically bursting out of the screen and into the viewer’s space. Design a dynamic, immersive activation that goes beyond a static image to captivate and stop people in their tracks.

Credits:

3D Modeling and Animation:
Hailey McMahon
Simulation:
Teja Hickenbottom
Sound Design:
Kelly Warner

Color Mood Analyzer

When a guest steps up, the machine asks things like “What is your color mood?” and uses your responses (and sometimes your image or silhouette) to determine which color of M&M you are.The result assigns you a specific color of M&M’S, for example, you might “be” a red M&M, a blue one, etc.

It’s interactive and fun, intended as an in-store experience rather than a simple vending machine.

The solid chocolate is dull and has no clear highlights at all.

Takeaway

Overall, as we examined the different appearances and textures of chocolate, we applied those observations to our simulation. We aimed to create a thinner consistency, similar to the first image of dripping chocolate, so the animation wouldn’t take too long, while still maintaining realistic movement. The coloration will be a smooth, milky brown, and we will increase the specular weight to achieve a glossy exterior.

The melted chocolate has harsh highlights, making the material feel glossy and wet, The shine impacts the feeling of richness and how savory it tastes

Shine

Caramel is lighter and golden, giving a sense of warmth and sweetness.

People recognize chocolate and caramel as different through their color and feel, chocolate is darker and richer, suggesting depth and indulgence.

Color

Wall Versions

First Pass Scene by Hailey McMahon

For the first pass animation, we blocked out our timing and position before adding many eases so that we could have everything ready for polishing. However, our art director said the reveal of the inside of the M&M should be more dramatic. With that in mind, we planned to make the seam of the M&M glow like the lights throughout the seam before opening.