LALIQUE CASE STUDY

Spec Ad: Encre Noire À L’Extrême

The Challenge

Lalique’s Encre Noire À L’Extrême is one of the most enigmatic scents on the market. Often described as “a dark, damp forest,”. Eerie, elegant, and unlike anything else.

Yet the brand’s existing fragrance marketing underplays this character. While Lalique leans into minimalism for its fragrances, its other verticals (from Lalique Art to crystalware and hospitality) showcase a rich, expressive visual heritage. That contrast revealed a creative blindspot.

The Opportunity

This spec ad was crafted to bridge that gap.

My goal: to bring the fragrance’s mystique and craftsmanship to the forefront, aligning with Lalique’s brand DNA while amplifying its emotional and visual impact.

My Creative Process

1. Brand Research & Analysis

A deep dive into Lalique’s history, product lines, and social presence revealed a clear visual dichotomy. Minimalism in fragrances, but expressive storytelling elsewhere. This guided my tone, color palette, and visual composition.

2. Creative Concept Development

The core concept: contrast. Warmth vs darkness. Stillness vs movement. Mystery emerging from silence.

3. Moodboarding & Shot Planning

Inspired by avant-garde fashion, abstract cinema, and moody editorial photography. Each frame was planned with billboard-level composition in mind. Bold silhouettes, atmospheric lighting, and cinematic pacing.

4. 3D Execution

Using Blender, I modeled, textured, lit, and animated every asset from scratch, carefully balancing realism with stylization to evoke emotion, not just form.

5. Finalization & Polish

Rendered in Cycles and finished with cinematic color grading, the final visual reimagines how Lalique could express the soul of this fragrance, celebrating its depth, sensuality, and shadow.