WNBA “No Shade” SPF 144

To support the WNBA’s incoming rookies, we helped launch a skincare product that did not exist. “No Shade” SPF 144 turned the criticism young players face into a satirical beauty campaign, complete with prestige product imagery, clinical graphics, and a scientifically questionable amount of protection.

Brief

Rookie players enter the league under immediate scrutiny from fans, commentators, media, and their peers.

The campaign needed to acknowledge that pressure without sounding defensive or overly earnest. It had to feel funny, culturally aware, and unequivocally supportive of the athletes.

Approach

We borrowed the visual grammar of premium skincare advertising: slow macro imagery, precise clinical overlays, pristine surfaces, and a completely confident voice. We created a 3D skin animation showing the fictional SPF formula forming a protective barrier, then pushed the concept further by transforming cells beneath the surface into basketballs.

Representation was considered from the beginning, not added as an afterthought. The final piece became the first skin-focused animation in advertising to feature brown skin, bringing greater accuracy and relevance to a visual category that had historically defaulted to lighter skin tones.

Role

I led the motion direction and production, working closely with the 3D artist, Creative Director, and Broadcast Producer to turn the fictional product concept into a fully realized beauty campaign. My role included shaping the visual approach, directing the animation and look development, and managing the schedule, resources, and coordination needed to carry the work from early exploration through final delivery.

Stills

The first skin animation in advertising to feature brown skin.

What began as a satirical product demonstration also became an opportunity to expand who is represented in highly crafted beauty and medical animation.