Sector: FMCG / Beverages / Energy
Client: Self-Initiated (Uncommissioned)
Sector: FMCG – Energy Drinks
Location: Uganda
The Challenge:
How Do You Give a Ugandan Street Legend a Global Stage—Without Changing Its Soul?
Rockboom is no stranger to Uganda. It’s the country’s first locally produced energy drink—bold, bustling, and beloved by boda riders and campus grinders alike. But its plastic PET bottle roots were holding it back from claiming shelf presence against international giants.
So we asked:
What if Rockboom wasn’t just seen as Uganda’s energy drink… but Uganda’s answer to Red Bull?
No client. No brief. Just a challenge:
Reimagine the visual identity and presence of a national product—with 3D design as our paintbrush.
The Vision:
Power. Prestige. Precision.
We reinterpreted Rockboom as a sleek, high-performance lifestyle beverage.
- A re-engineered can format replaces plastic, delivering a more premium and modern look.
- A fierce new visual identity channels electricity, impact, and design-forward minimalism.
- The CGI film is fast, fluid, and unrelenting—just like the product’s effect.
We wanted Ugandans to see a drink they know... and say:
"Wait—this is Rockboom?"
The Execution:
💻 100% CGI. No footage. No shoot. No physical product.
Every scene was imagined, lit, animated, and rendered entirely in-house using high-performance 3D pipelines.
The 3D & Motion Breakdown:
Concept & Art Direction
- Core theme: _"Raw Power, Refined Design"
- Bold opening titles: “STRONGER. SLEEK.”—to set the emotional tone
- Vertical logo layout & lightning bolt motif for impact and symbolism
- Palette: matte black, electric red, and metallic grey for power and precision
- Environments: dark, elemental surfaces—crushed crystal, black sand—to connect to local grit and global edge
Modeling & Texturing
- Can Geometry: Built to real-world spec using C4D, with bevels to catch studio-style reflections
- Photoreal Water Droplets: Hand-sculpted moisture FX using bump and roughness maps
- Material Pipeline (PBR):
- Aluminum Body: Subtle brushed metal with anisotropic reflections
- Label Details: High-resolution displacement for tactile realism
- Tab & Lid: Polished highlights, embossed logos
Houdini: Simulation & Dynamics
- Liquid interactions built with high-viscosity splash simulations
- Real-time interactions between droplets, condensation, and metallic surface
- Applied procedural noise to mimic real-world physics of splashes and water behavior
Redshift: Real-Time Iteration
- Enabled fast lighting previews, HDRI integration, and layered materials
- Used depth-of-field and chromatic aberration to simulate cinematic lensing
Arnold: Final Cinematic Renders
- High-resolution Monte Carlo ray-traced sequences
- Caustics through droplets, accurate subsurface scattering on water
- Motion blur and refraction-based realism
Strategic Rationale:
Why This Matters for Brands
- Elevated Format: Aluminum can signals premium, youth-driven, global aesthetics
- Cultural Relevance: Maintains Rockboom’s Ugandan pride and street heritage
- New Market Appeal: Urban creatives, fitness communities, and nightlife markets
- Brand Upgrade: Sets the foundation for digital launches, product extensions, or rebrands
This Was a Passion Project
Not because we had time.
Because we had something to say:
Ugandan brands deserve world-class design. And we don’t wait for permission to show it.