Revealing the 2025 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Livery with WhatsApp
At Lumiere, we love pushing the boundaries of motion design and our latest project, helmed by the wonderful Kaleida, was no exception.
Meta tasked Kaleida with creating a striking anamorphic installation, that would go live in 3 places simultaneously - Kings Cross Station and Covent Garden in London, and Grand Central Station in New York.
Our task was to help reveal the 2025 Mercedes F1 livery in a way that brought WhatsApp’s core technology—encryption—to life.
As an official team partner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, WhatsApp plays a key role in secure communication. To reflect this, the team designed a unique visual approach: a 3D pixelated effect that concealed the new F1 car under shifting, dynamic blocks—symbolising the encrypted nature of WhatsApp’s messaging technology
Creating Illusions
What made this project truly unique was how the content was displayed. Our graphics were mapped onto a physical box structure, designed to be viewed from a 45-degree angle.
This setup required us to create an anamorphic illusion—a visual technique that distorts an image in a way that only appears correct when viewed from a certain perspective.
When standing at the correct angle, viewers were able to see down both sides of the cube simultaneously. This gave the illusion of looking straight into a fully immersive space even though the graphics were actually mapped onto a flat surface.
The result was a striking effect that added depth, intrigue, and an almost futuristic quality to the reveal—perfectly aligning with the innovation and cutting-edge technology behind both WhatsApp and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
Out in the world
Enhancing the Illusion: Adding Depth
To push the anamorphic effect even further, we explored multiple ways to create a sense of depth, making the box feel like more than just a flat screen.
We built a cube within a cube, an inner 3D structure, that we were then able to rotate periodically to reveal additional ‘rooms’. Some rooms had defined back walls, giving further believability to the 3Dimensional cube concept, whereas with some we extended the background deep into the box, giving the illusion of a vast digital space that appeared to extend beyond the physical limits of the box, further immersing the audience in the reveal.
We also used dynamic motion elements—like glass shattering outward, making it feel as though fragments were breaking past the screen and coming toward the viewer.
These subtle yet powerful techniques combined to create a visually rich and seamless experience—one that blurred the line between physical and digital space.
Credits
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Enquiries:
hello@lumierestudios.co.uk