Edu Menezes — Director & Motion Designer
Case 11 — Universidade Zumbi dos Palmares · Grey Brasil · 2019

The Real Machado

Motion graphics for the campaign that restored Machado de Assis's true features in his most reproduced portrait.

Cannes Lions 2019 — Bronze — Design
The Real Machado — posterPlay case film — sound on2:12
Client
Universidade Zumbi dos Palmares
Agency
Grey Brasil
Edu's role
Motion Design
Year
2019

The brief

For over a century, the most reproduced portrait of Machado de Assis, Brazil's greatest writer, quietly lightened his skin.

The idea

AI and archival research restored his Black features, and the reveal was animated over his own words.

What I did

Animated the restoration reveal: Machado's true features returning over his own words. Slow, archival pacing. It should feel like repair work, not a visual effect.

Result

Bronze at Cannes Lions 2019 in Design. The corrected portrait started a national conversation about racism and memory in Brazilian literature.

Credits

Creative Leadership — Adriano Matos, Rodrigo Jatene, Bruno Brux

Creative Direction — Marcelo Bruzzesi, Rafael Gonzaga

Creative — Gustavo Zordan, Julia Mota

Motion Graphics — Edu Menezes

Production — Lemonade / Diego Biazzon

Post / Sound — PixelLove / Satelite Audio