How Baidu Baike Revamped Its Brand with 3D Video Experiences for Young Audiences

Design Thinking

Baike’s brand perception has long been professional and authoritative, but in recent years it has been moving toward a younger, video‑centric direction. The team explored multi‑dimensional innovations, creating personalized video columns such as "Plants Have Gu Shi" for expert Gu You‑rong, and series‑style youthful video branding for "Idol Evolution Theory" and "Big Guest Evolution Theory". They also built the "Q" IP for the "Miao Dong Ben Zun Da" series to boost young brand awareness.

Beyond these brand‑centric experiments, the team sought more vivid and interesting expressions that resonate with young target users, aiming to build a new Baike brand that is young, fun, rich, and authoritative.

Early Positioning

In the design phase, the project background and core audience were analyzed to set the overall direction. Key design keywords were identified as eye‑catching, interesting, youthful, and high‑quality.

The visual style adopted a 3D approach with vibrant, high‑contrast colors to quickly attract attention. Detailed modeling captured animal features, and animated effects added liveliness.

Highlights

① 3D creates a youthful, fun experience – Inspired by the popular game "Animal Crossing," the design incorporated game‑like visual elements, 3D scenes, and character‑style animals to deliver a lively visual experience.

② Scalable container design – Because the number of livestream sessions and animals can change, the island layout was designed as a flexible container capable of hosting multiple animal livestreams simultaneously, with configurable positions.

③ Enhanced detail for a premium experience – The team produced high‑quality 3D posters, added tens of thousands of hairs to animal models, and refined details to stand out among 3D designs.

Challenges Overcome

① Tight timeline and coordination – The project moved from planning to launch in just 16 days with only two designers. Rapid response to unexpected issues and precise time management were essential to deliver all animal models on schedule.

② Balancing visual impact and performance – Converting 3D animal models to a mini‑program required handling large files and shadow rendering issues. By reducing shadow thickness and optimizing exports, the team achieved a lightweight yet visually faithful result.

Conclusion

Baike’s brand is now not only authoritative but also youthful and surprising. The livestream activity has launched successfully across four seasons, receiving high user satisfaction and ranking on livestream charts. The team will continue to deepen Baike’s brand value through ongoing innovation.