Coo Coo! Canva’s Creative Pigeon Returns to Help a Stray Cat Find a Home

DUDE Milan’s second chapter from the ‘Wild Design’ brand platform shows how creativity can solve life’s everyday challenges

Following the success of ‘Wild Design’, the handcrafted stop-motion campaign that introduced the internet’s most creative pigeon, Canva is bringing back Picci1 for a new adventure that shifts the spotlight from small businesses to personal creativity in a new multi-channel campaign.

While the first chapter demonstrated how Canva could help transform a struggling trattoria through better branding and design, the latest campaign from the ‘Wild Design’ brand platform explores how creativity can improve everyday life. From creating social posts and flyers to editing videos and printed materials, ‘Wild Design – Chapter II’ showcases Canva’s personal-use features while reinforcing its belief that great design should be accessible to everyone – regardless of experience.

At the heart of the campaign – which was created by independent creative agency DUDE Milan – is a 30 second hero film where we once again meet Picci1,  the resourceful pigeon whose eye for opportunity has once again landed him in the middle of an unlikely creative challenge.

Picci1 finds himself facing a stray cat that has been disrupting the peace of his flock. But when the opportunity arises, he decides to put his wings, creativity, and Canva at the service of the community.

Using Canva’s wide range of templates, video editing tools, and social content creation features, Picci1 creates an irresistible piece of content to reveal the true nature of the feared feline and help him find an adoptive family. In no time, the “terrifying troublemaker” wins everyone’s hearts, transforming from a threat to the flock into Bartolomiao, the adorable cat who finally finds the love he deserves.

A happy ending for everyone: Bartolomiao finds a family, while the pigeons can finally return to peacefully enjoying their precious crumbs.

Antonio Mitra, Creative Director, DUDE Milan said: “With WILD DESIGN, we created an unlikely protagonist who can take on a completely different adventure every time, all within our little Italian square. Picci1 is a pigeon facing challenges of every scale, from helping a business reinvent itself to solving everyday problems for his flock, proving that with Canva, design can be part of everyone’s daily life. 

Stefano Summo, Creative Director, DUDE Milan added: “This time, the challenge was a misunderstood ‘enemy’ who simply needed to be seen and loved. And yes, we may have developed a taste for stop motion: its craft, humour and tangible magic made it impossible not to make another film.”

The film was once again produced by UK animation studio A+C. Using handcrafted stop-motion animation, every character, prop and set has been meticulously built by hand, creating the tactile, characterful world that has become synonymous with the ‘Wild Design’ brand platform.

The campaign will run across social media and DOOH.

Alongside the hero film, the campaign includes a series of 15-second social films highlighting Canva’s core features, including templates, video editing, social content creation and print functionality, demonstrating how Picci1 turns simple ideas into creative solutions.

The digital out-of-home features a series of executions where Picci1 and Bartolomiao showcase the different Canva tools such as designing social content and editing video to creating brochures, flyers and greetings cards.

Media planning was by OMD.

Credits

CLIENT: CANVA

Campaign + Brand Media Lead: Holly Thomas

Creative Lead: Oli Bussell

Social Lead: Sara Bernardi

Creative Operations + Production Lead: Karine Pawel

Brand Designer: Rémy Auger

Copywriter: Margot Gangand

Motion Designer: Marta Azana,

Research Lead: Matt Harris

Italy Lead: Valentino Magliaro

Europe Marketing Lead: Amanda Zafaris

EMEA Regional Lead: Özge Doğan

Creator Manager: Ginevra Corrieri

Europe Marketing Ops: Seb Merhej

Creative Agency: DUDE Milan

Chief Creative Officers & Partners: Livio Basoli & Lorenzo Picchiotti 

Creative Directors: Antonio Mitra & Stefano Summo

Senior Art Director: Antonio Gambino

Senior Copywriter: Alessandro Magnani

Junior Art Director: Gaia Ballarini

Junior Copywriter: Viola Triossi

Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer: Lorenzo Foffani

Creative Strategy Consultant: Federica Nanni

Strategist: Federica Piergiovanni

Business Director: Elena Panza

Account Director: Ilario Ruffini

Senior Account Manager: Antonia Martone

Senior Account Executive: Federica Menandro

Integrated production director: Jacopo Turrini

Head of video production: Simone Raddi

Senior Producer: Valeria Mazzotta

Post Production Director: Seba Morando

Post Producer: Silvia Brigoli

Motion Designer: Alessandro Menotti

Music & Sound Design: Magma Music agency

ANIMATION STUDIO: A+C Studios

Director: Dan Richards

Executive Producer: Bethany Abbott

Senior Producer: Ollie Perrin

Producer: Eleonora Saccoman

Production Assistant: Fiona Ebel and Kirsten Jane Reed

Character & Set Designer: Isaac Meardon

Animatic Animator: James Smith

Pre-Vis Artist: Harry Law

3D Sculptor: James Smith

3D Print Technician: James Harvey and Billy Stoker

Head Model Maker (Sets): Astrid Goldsmith

Model Maker: Bella Sutherland and Louisa Esposito

Set Painter: Andrew Hudson

Carpenter: Jon Ellis

Head Human Puppet Fabricator: Adina Grubb

Human Puppet And Set Fabricator: Mara Frampton

Human Puppet Fabricator: The Wooley Felters

Hero Puppet Seamstress: Liz Powner

Props: Alice Hewitt

Human Armatures: Julian Clarke

Hero Puppet Workshop: Mackinnon & Saunders

Studio Manager: David Baker

Director Of Photography: Kevin Paul Lawrence

Assistant Director: Harry Law

Camera And Lighting Assistant: Sam Stretton

Head Animator: James Harvey

Stop-Motion Animator: Arnau Godia-Montesinos and Tine Kluth

Assistant Animator: Louix Freeth

Studio Assistant: Robin Louis

Source: DUDE

  Antonio Mitra, canva, DUDE, OMD, Stefano Summo