The breakfast brand built in 48 hours—
powered by AI and pure creative fire.
Zip-Os Cereal Campaign
Role: Art Director & Motion Designer
Tools Used: ChatGPT, Kling AI, ElevenLabs, Photoshop, Premiere Pro
Deliverables: Animated commercial (15s), hero billboard design, product photography, packaging mockups, branded motion graphics
Campaign Overview
Zip-Os is a fictional cereal brand created to showcase my skills in cinematic storytelling, AI-assisted animation, and product branding. The challenge: deliver a high-energy, emotionally driven cereal commercial using AI tools from concept to post-production in under 2 days.
My Role & Contributions
Concept development and scriptwriting
Character design and continuity across scenes
Motion prompts for Kling AI to animate each scene
Art direction on visual branding and product look
Audio production using ElevenLabs voiceover
Video editing and animation timing
Video Commercial
This 30-second branded commercial was created to simulate a real-world launch for a fictional cereal brand, Zip-Os. This Pixar-style 3D animation spot follows a narrative-driven sequence centered on a modern family during their morning routine. As the mother drives her kids to school through a sun-drenched suburban neighborhood, she notices a vibrant Zip-Os billboard. At that exact moment, a radio ad comes on, drawing her attention. Curious and intrigued, she later picks up a box at the grocery store, leading to a joyful breakfast scene the next morning.
Radio Commercial
As part of the campaign rollout, I created a 30-second Zip-Os radio commercial to complement the animated visual story. The script was written to mirror the energy and optimism of the Zip-Os brand, voiced using ElevenLabs AI narration to deliver a professional, upbeat tone. To support the radio ad across streaming and social platforms, I designed a 1x1 Zip-Os cover artwork that’s vibrant, consistent with the cereal's packaging, and instantly recognizable.
Zip-Os Radio Commercial
A Hand Turns Up The Volume of the Radio
Project Workflow Overview
The Zip-Os campaign followed a structured, multi-phase workflow designed to take a creative concept from brief to execution. It began with a clearly defined design brief outlining the campaign’s goals, target audience, and brand tone. This was followed by brainstorming sessions to explore key themes—such as healthy habits, family dynamics, and morning routines—which fed into a detailed ideation phase.
Visual style, character development, and narrative direction were refined during ideation using tools like Adobe Photoshop, Gamma, and Leonardo AI. Finally, the deliverables were brought to life through a suite of production tools: a branded persona, a scripted and audio-edited radio ad, a fully animated video commercial using Kling AI, and cohesive branding assets including a cereal box, moodboard, and billboard mockup. This workflow ensured a focused, consistent creative output aligned with the needs and lifestyle of our target persona.
PERSONA
Persona Overview: Kelly – The Grocery-Buying Mom
Kelly was created to represent our core Zip-Os audience: busy, health-conscious moms who make the majority of household grocery decisions. She’s a working mom in her mid-30s with two active kids—one in sports, the other in cheerleading—who juggles hectic mornings and wants convenient, nutritious breakfast options.
This persona puts a face to our user and ensures our creative decisions are rooted in empathy and relevance. Kelly guided the tone of our campaign, from messaging to visual storytelling. Her needs shaped Zip-Os as a brand that supports real families with real routines—fast, healthy, and kid-approved.
Workflow & Tools Overview
This project was a multidisciplinary blend of design, storytelling, and AI-driven production—merging traditional creative software with next-gen tools to bring the Zip-Os cereal brand to life across video, audio, motion, and visual design.
Audio Production
The 30-second Zip-Os radio commercial was scripted with the help of ChatGPT, then recorded and refined using ElevenLabs for AI voiceover. I used Adobe Audition for final audio mastering — adjusting EQ, adding warm vocal compression, and mixing the VO with subtle background ambiance for a polished, broadcast-ready sound.
Visual Design
I designed all packaging and promotional assets using Adobe Photoshop, from the cereal box artwork to billboard mockups and social media thumbnails. I refined concepts and visual copy with ChatGPT, ensuring brand consistency and narrative clarity across platforms.
Video Editing & Composition
The video sequences were compiled and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro, allowing for precise timing, layering of assets, and synchronization of visuals with the radio ad. This helped achieve a commercial flow that felt cohesive and engaging across scenes.
Cinematic Animation
For dynamic visuals, I used Kling AI to animate key scenes, such as the family car moment, the slow pan to the billboard, and the cereal spoon motion. ChatGPT assisted in crafting precise, cinematic prompts optimized for frame stability, lighting, and lens dynamics, ensuring natural movement and character consistency throughout.
Reflection
Building the Zip-Os campaign was a powerful reminder of how creativity, strategy, and emerging technology can come together to tell a compelling story. This project challenged me to wear multiple hats—designer, storyteller, editor, and strategist—as I crafted a world around a simple, family-focused cereal brand.
Working with tools like ChatGPT, Kling AI, Leonardo, and ElevenLabs alongside Adobe’s Creative Suite gave me the ability to bring this campaign to life across every medium. While these tools sometimes required multiple iterations to get things just right—whether it was a motion prompt that needed refining or a voiceover tone that didn’t land on the first try—I genuinely love the process they support. Each round of trial and error helped sharpen my creative instincts and elevate the final output.
What grounded the project was Kelly, our user persona. Her presence served as a constant reminder that every design choice, every animation, and every script line needed to connect with someone real. She became the emotional core of the campaign, and designing around her made the entire experience more meaningful.
In the end, this project didn’t just showcase my technical abilities—it deepened my belief in storytelling as a strategic tool, and in the creative potential of blending human insight with AI-driven execution.
“Hire me or compete with me.”
(Because I’m building worlds, not just résumés.)
Tarelle Butts © 2018