CPK: Midlife Crisis

A fake rebrand celebrating California Pizza Kitchen’s 40th anniversary.

CPK wanted to mark its 40th anniversary with a little self-awareness. We gave the brand a midlife crisis: a fake rebrand full of chrome, neon, and deliberate excess, followed by a return to classic CPK, proud to be 40.

I wanted the film introducing the new identity to feel as unpredictable as the rebrand itself. I designed and animated it sequentially, improvising each transition and letting one visual suggest the next. Loosening my usual planning process brought that intentional chaos into the production, giving the film the slightly off feeling the concept needed. I also developed animations that brought back the familiar identity when we revealed the stunt.

Client

California Pizza Kitchen

My role

Lead Motion / 3D

Duration

3 weeks

Year

2024

Tools used: