In 2013, Beats introduced the world to their "pill people" — anthropomorphized speakers that became some of the most beloved characters in advertising. A decade later, Beats returned to BUCK to bring them back, coordinated with the launch of a new generation of product.

Reviving a beloved character format is a minefield: too faithful and it feels dated, too reimagined and you lose what made it work. Voiced by actor-comedians, the spots leaned into charm and humor, telling short-form stories that let the characters' personalities carry the sell.

My role as design director centered on honing character detail and leading the full environmental build: a fantasy Southern California home designed from a floor plan I drafted specifically for the campaign. The space is aspirational and midcentury-inflected with white walls to make the characters pop — the kind of place you might imagine Dr. Dre actually living in. No human beings ever appear, but their presence is subtly felt throughout. The goal was a specific kind of FOMO: the sense that someone cool and successful already has these speakers, and maybe you should too.

The campaign launched in 2024 and is still actively releasing new spots that have scaled to include celebrity cameos, suggesting the pill people have lost none of their charm. Judging by the YouTube comments, I think we did them justice.