Nothing to Sneeze At

As a pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly knows that understanding the people behind a condition is just as important as treating it. When pollen season arrives, many people suddenly become masters of hide-and-seek. But even when you can hide from the outside world, it's much harder to hide from the way the allergy makes you feel.

Together, we turned this invisible struggle into an immersive, hand-drawn 2D visual story, stepping into the raw emotional space where the outer and inner worlds collide. The goal wasn't just to explain the condition, but to bring its invisible side to life, so audiences could empathise with those living with it. Because pollen allergy, quite literally, is nothing to be sneezed at.

Eli Lilly • Allergy Manifesto

Campaign

This is Ari

Stuffy nose, sneezing, and fatigue can make even the simplest outing feel like something worth thinking twice about. To bring that invisible struggle to life, we designed our female character, Ari, to feel instantly relatable, letting her reactions and vulnerability carry much of the story.

Every subtle expression, hesitant glance, and fleeting emotion reveal what it's like when the world outside is in full bloom, but self-consciousness keeps you from fully enjoying it.

And Another Ari

Different person. Similar story. Same name. Our male Ari carries the same invisible struggle with frustration, irritation, and fatigue, finding its way into every expression, making an invisible condition impossible to ignore.

Together, both Aris remind us that seasonal allergies don't play favourites and can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, or background.

Side Effect: Social Awkwardness

Sometimes, what the world sees and what people with allergies experience are two very different things. To everyone else, it's just a sneeze, a sniffle, but underneath there's a whole emotional world hiding beneath the surface.

A hand-painted visual language, bold colour contrasts, and stripped-back environments helped us bring that invisible world to life, inviting audiences to look beyond the symptoms and into the emotional weight so many carry.

Beyond the Visible

The emotional side of the clip lives inside the patient's perspective. The transition between visible symptoms and invisible emotions begins with a mirror being fractured.

Dark, textured environments, expressive framing, and dramatic camera angles turn isolation, embarrassment, and confusion into worlds audiences can step inside. Endless doors, winding tunnels, and fragmented spaces draw viewers deeper into the characters' emotional world, making invisible emotions feel strikingly real.

The Voice Within

When allergies get the better of us, our thoughts and feelings do too. So, we decided to include them in the story. Typography becomes much more than words on a screen, turning the patients' inner dialogue, everyday excuses, and unspoken emotions into part of the world around them. A hand-drawn treatment keeps it human, imperfect, and emotionally honest. Just like the people behind the story.

Visible Emotions

With empathy driving the narrative, the characters' expressions were designed to do most of the talking. Every glance, furrowed brow and moment of stillness was carefully considered, balancing realism with just the right touch of stylisation to feel honest and familiar, without ever losing the human behind it.

Story of Their Life

A hand-painted visual style gave the story its emotional texture. Rough brushstrokes, bold colours, and surreal symbolism, all working as an extension of the characters' inner world. Minimal environments and carefully crafted visual metaphors stripped away distractions, keeping the focus on the characters.