Adam Gault…

Posted by Ted Gore

I just happened to pull up Adams site out of curiosity today and was reminded how mind blowing Adams talents are. We all know him for his work with eyeball on the CMT identities and the Best Buy campaign. He has a few recent items that showcase an amazing ability for motion. Not to discredit his design, it’s hot, no doubt, but his animation touch is one of my favorites by any artist in our industry right now, his moves all feel right, sexy, exact, unexpected and logical. I think those five words sum up what good design is comprised of.

Check this, his most recent, for showtime, completed at loyalkaspar.

Also this, which may have been posted already, but who cares, watch it again. For addidas, produced by metaphrenie

Good on ya Adam.

16 Comments

david lewandowski

That adidas spot is really cool, and the showtime- although pretty straightforward technically, has a great vibe to it. Where is this guy, NYC? Good work adam!

Jon Yeo

Long time since Eyeball Adam, you’ve still got it man.

THA-DON

yes, those are five amazing words right there you noted Tread, why, they are almost as amazing as the spot itself.

work is really good.
tnx

cbop

The best buy spot may be executed well but its relatively unoriginal.

this was done about five years ago

http://www.greentowel.com

rock shock link.

But probably wont make anyone bat an eye…motion graphic people rip everything off, use the same software, use the same cliches, icons, motifs …all of these reels look practically identical on motionographer. I kind of think its a shared vocabulary of computer-trained monkeys. (OOH – OOH–AHH-AHHH)

david lewandowski

cbop… what???

(makes computerized chimp glitch sounds)

Pat D.C.

Interesting statement cbop, everything goes through phases and styles where things begin looking the same, look at print, illustration or web design. Motion is no different, of course you’ll get some cross over with style and insperation with so many people out there working in the industry. What are examples of work right now that you think are completely different?

Tread

cbop, your opinion sounds like it is coming from an outsider. What holy sector of design are you coming from, telling us that we rip everything off? That’s very pompous of you. I don’t have much regard for your comment because you obviously don’t understand motion graphic design enough to appreciate the subtle uniquity in work like this.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that nothing these days isn’t a rip off of something that already exists. Show us your completely original work and I’ll have some regard for your opinon.

quintu

I think from the beginning of art forms there are movements and styles that groups of people do. Take the expressionism, surrealism, superrealism, etc. You go to a museum and find a room full of similar paintings or sculptures that are very similar but made by different artists. I think it is a healthy exploration of a style – to see in how many different ways it can be done, different rythms, tempos, styles. Once it is “overplayed” like some people call it, then people move on to different things. The important part is, that everytime it is someone else who comes up with it, so it is diversified. Just my opinion…

theodoredaley

Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.
– Picasso

jasfish

Why is it all the people who yell rip always post anonymously?

Plus I’m so sick of everyone crying rip over anything that’s even vaguely similar. Get over it. These are both fine pieces on their own.

xpez

I think the point Cbop made is that within this creative industry it seems as though there is a tendency to rely on similar processes, methodolgy, aesthetics etc… Whether or not that is good, bad or irrelevant is a personal question of ethics, values, and artisitc integrity.

I do agree with the comment of motifs:

For example: LIps, lightning bolts, rainbows, cityscapes, unicorns,BIRDS grafitti, dripping paint, filagree, video game art, airbrushing, URBAN detritus, DOODLES….the list goes oooooooooon. that is youth iconography.. its easy subject matter to sell…..no one questions it.

Quintu – Its a huge stretch to compare motion graphics to something like surrealism….one is a corporate craft rooted in committee, where the other was the result of a personal visual/intellectual exploration.(a lifetime). –

Will you be searching artisically when you are 60 in your motion graphic work or will you just be a executive creative director at the top of the chain that just takes phone calls and takes credit…and lives with extreme denial that he cannot design, hasnt any ideas, and hides behind cloaks of corporate authority to hold on to the illusion of artistic integrity?

theodoredaley : There is a huge difference between inspiration and plagarism….

Inspiration should aspire to create something unfamiliar where plagarism takes pride in repeating without any additional commentary.

At least Picasso stole from (at the time) entirely different cultures in Africa. At least his work (((inspired work??))) didnt appear as if he was stealing from his contemporaries.

Bad artists copy. Good artists steal. Great artists make stealing moot.

But I guess the problem really lies in confusing commercial motion graphics with art and idealistic art practices…..

david lewandowski

Wow that’s the best end to a flame I’ve seen in a long time. Thank you Xpez, I’m glad you took the time to type that out.

“Whether or not that is good, bad or irrelevant is a personal question of ethics, values, and artisitc integrity.”

btw your motif list sounds like a rundown of the lambo reel!

mark

the question is what did he actually do on that adidas spot. it seems to me rather that he did a bit of compositing here and there like the rotating of the product display and so on.

not so much impressed

theodoredaley

I was worried my comment would be seen as saying Adam’s work is a “rip” (which I do not believe) but I simply meant it as a statement. If Picasso can say that, we should all think a bit before claiming we are so altruistic and everything we create is so “original”.

Cbop that seems like a pretty myopic view of Mograph to say monkeys can create something like Saul Bass’ film titles or Psyop’s Sapphire Blue, Lambo’s reel or Adam’s work. But people make that argument about everything – heck we can’t even agree if we COME from monkeys or not.

xpez: “But I guess the problem really lies in confusing commercial motion graphics with art and idealistic art practices”

You hit the nail on the head with that. Mograph is for commercial purposes (at least when used for promotion/selling and not for the individuals pleasure).

The fact of the matter though is all ideas are shared whether we wish to admit it or not, someone, somewhere at some time has already done it (maybe not exactly the way the “new” idea has been developed but if you dig deep enough it is somewhere else). So everything is being stolen or borrowed but it can still be inspirational. Simply because Picasso didn’t appear like he was stealing (to his peers) does not validate the act of theft of other peoples’ cultures (one could argue that it is even worse because of that very fact). But I love his work (I would say it is inspired) and think we all owe so much to him (and to African art – an area that gets next to no recognition in western art). Essentially we all steal/borrow/share a common pool of ideas – it’s the only way we can communicate. However as long as we are honest with ourselves (and our peers) about our influences it should not really matter.

BUT as you said xpez, we are going down the slippery slope of art vs. commerce and however you take it I believe Adam’s work will/does stand the test and will not be seen as simply a “rip” as time goes on. The beauty of Mograph is that it is in its infancy so everything (at least I believe) is fair game. As long as it is not simply regurgitation and tries to add to the dialogue what more can you ask for?

quintu

Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe that a lot of the work done by fine artists was commissioned – kind of in a “work for hire” situation. The work was done for a certain event or person with a theme or something particularly asked of the person who was paying for it. Now, that sort of sounds commercial to me no? How else would all these artists eat? There are some starving artists, but not all…

I have no idea why people downplay mograph so much, there are so many things done out there that are worthy pieces of art, just because the people who pay us to do it have reduced it to where it is now does not mean we the “artists” should… we should give ourselves a bit of credit – at least i hope…

And no, I do not expect to be sitting behind a desk at 60, I expect to be sitting behind my drawing table.

morock

I had the pleasure of working with Adam in NYC about 4 years ago when I first started in the broadcast design/motion graphics industry. He’s a very talented designer and animator, and his treatment on typography is always perfectly executed.

I was glad to see his work on motionographer. His work is always fresh and original.

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