Gretchen Nash

Gretchen Nash’s fantastic portfolio. Another great output from CalArts with a mix of print, motion and book design. She is currently staff at Stardust LA.

Eli Mavros Updates

Eli Mavros, Editor/Director/Writer, Updates

Motion Theory: Triple Threat

Spring is here, and I’m falling in love all over again with Motion Theory. They’ve recently released a bevvy of projects that show off their incredible diversity as image-makers and storytellers.

Royal Bank of Canada “Anthem”

First up is a charming character-driven animation for Royal Bank of Canada and agency The Buntin Group.

The spot’s seamless transitions are not only visually pleasing, they actually reinforce the underlying messages of interconnectedness and diversity. Coupled with the retro tinged palette and illustration work, the spot is smile-inducing even on the third or fourth viewing.

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Justin Claus Harder

Justin Claus Harder’s site is busting with wicked work. Don’t miss some very cool character designs in the personal section with “work so personal I put it online.”

Atelier Transfert: Watch and Learn

One of animation’s greatest strengths is its ability to simplify complex systems for digestion by the widest possible audience. This is something Montreal based Atelier Transfert understands implicitly.

Their approach is very specific: Using mostly stop motion, they “can take abstract concepts and bring them into the tactile world to illustrate a very simple message. Through simple and visually entertaining analogies, we can communicate complex features.”

Case in point is their recent video explaining how Email Center Pro software works. Atelier Transfert mixes metaphor and humor to keep things simple and engaging. It’s a technique that’s harder to master than it sounds, so I thought I’d ask them a few questions about their process. Atelier Transfert’s Christian Martel graciously responded.

If Google Translate can be trusted, “Atelier Transfert” roughly translates to “Transfer Workshop.” Why did you choose that as your studio’s name?

Yes, Google Translate is accurate. ‘Atelier’ in French often suggests an artist’s workshop or practice, and ‘transfert’ means transfer, which I sort of meant as in transport—intersecting various approaches, disciplines, and media through a design process.

These stop-motion tutorials we’ve been doing lately are still very rooted in design in that they attempt to reduce a message to its simplest expression.

AT has a very specific approach—namely, using stop-motion animation for “how-to” or expository videos. Why stop-motion? Why not, for the sake of argument, 3D animation?

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lilit Hayrapetyan

Beautiful 3D work from lilit Hayrapetyan of Triada Studio

Event: Fantastic Journey & Fool Notion

Fantastic Journey & Fool Notion: a look behind film concept art, March March 28th in Dallas