Air Canada - Holiday Campaign

Key visuals and concept frames that brought Air Canada’s North Pole to life.

For Air Canada’s holiday campaign, I designed key visuals and detailed concept frames for three iconic story elements: Santa’s Workshop, the North Pole village landscape, and Christmas “ice magic.” As part of the creative team, my illustrations guided the 3D and VFX teams to maintain continuity and integrate the environments and effects seamlessly into the final film.

Create key visuals that support Air Canada’s holiday story and VFX moments.

❋ Goal

Santa’s Workshop, North Pole landscape design frames, and ice-magic concept frames.

❋ Deliverables

Maintain continuity across scenes and provide clear VFX/3D references.

❋ Constraints

Illustrator / Graphic Designer / Concept Artist
(key visuals + concept frames).

❋ Role

Supplied production-ready visual direction that streamlined 3D/VFX execution.

❋ Outcome

Adobe Photoshop · Procreate

❋ Tools

❋ Key Visuals

1) Santa’s Workshop (Key Visual)

I designed Santa’s Workshop as a warm, storybook anchor for the North Pole world. Drawing inspiration from European countryside cottages to balance rustic charm with holiday magic. Cozy lighting cues, wood textures, and small details (wreath, red accents, ornaments, sleigh) were used to imply Santa’s presence and make the environment feel inviting even within a snowy landscape.

2) North Pole Landscape (Continuity Frames)

Because the snowy landscape reappears across multiple scenes, I created a series of concept frames to define its “visual rules” (terrain shapes, lighting mood, and recurring landmarks) so it stayed recognizable shot to shot. These frames helped the 3D and VFX teams evolve the environment consistently while preserving the same North Pole identity throughout the film.

3) Christmas Magic (Ice/Frost Effect)

For the pond-freeze moment, I illustrated how the “Christmas magic” would spread and layer in action—defining the shapes, glow, frost textures, and timing cues before simulation. The concept frame acted as a clear reference for CGI and compositing, ensuring the final effect felt magical, readable, and integrated with the live-action performance.

4) Santa’s Village (Aerial + Matte Painting)

To establish the world beyond the workshop, I created an aerial concept frame featuring the Air Canada plane and the surrounding landscape to lock in atmosphere and lighting. I then designed a small village asset that was integrated as a matte painting, helping unify the broader environment and make the North Pole setting feel immersive and complete.

❋ More Details

A holiday film centered on two sisters interacting with three key elements: Santa’s Workshop, North Pole village, and a magical pond-freeze moment. My task was to design key visuals and concept frames that could translate cleanly into 3D and VFX.
Illustrated key environments and effect moments, producing detailed concept frames that guided the 3D and VFX teams. The goal was to create a strong storybook look while keeping references clear enough for production and continuity.
I began by defining the key visuals as clear hero concepts, then expanded them into supporting frames that addressed continuity, lighting, and how assets would appear across multiple scenes. These frames acted as production-ready references throughout build, simulation, and compositing.
The visual direction balanced warmth and wonder against a snowy backdrop. Cozy shapes, inviting lighting cues, and playful story details (signage, ornaments, sleigh) that imply Santa’s presence. For VFX-heavy moments, I emphasized layered readability so artists could translate the effect consistently.
Concept frames were refined to ensure each element stayed recognizable across shots and maintained a cohesive “North Pole” identity. Details were adjusted to support continuity and make the VFX/3D execution more efficient.
Deliverables included:
- Santa’s Workshop key visual.
- A series of North Pole landscape continuity frames.
- A detailed ice-magic concept frame to guide CGI simulation and compositing.

Client
Air Canada

Agency
FCB Canada

Production
Scouts Honour

Post - Production
Nimiopere

Colour
456 Studios

VFX & Online
Tantrum Studios

Music
6 Degrees Music & Sound