I came across this project by Steve Panicara over at the Motion Exchange and was very impressed by it. Immediately by the tight and energetic animation of the piece, but also by the elegant way in which all the pieces are connected conceptually. The logo shape, the typography choice and the graphic elements are all based on simple circles, but what Steve has managed to do – incorporating both still images of characters in shows as well as moving footage – to link them all together feels very sophisticated and carefully considered.
Questions:
Where are you going to school now? What are you studying?
I’m going to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, where I’m studying graphic design, and minoring in animation.
What was the assignment for this project?
It was an identity/rebrand project. I had to choose a local company from a list that the instructor provided, then research and rebrand the company. I chose Detroit Public Television, or DPTV, because it was one of the few that required a motion-based rebrand.
Can you describe the process you followed in coming up with your design solution for the project? I saw some type studies on your site that point in the direction of the piece, but are quite different look …
It was a pretty extensive process for this one. After researching the company for a couple of weeks, I decided to focus on the fact that all of DPTV’s programming was educational in one way or another, and that connections play a big part in learning (connecting neurons, social connections, etc). Then I had to “play” as part of the process to find inspiration based on the connection theme, and that’s when I started dropping paper type in spider webs and making connections out of strings. Then I went to the sketchbook, and based on those little type studies, I came up with my final direction.
Once you settled on the look of the piece, how did you do to make all the animation for the project? How long did that take?
The asset building and animation took about two and half weeks. The images were all done in Photoshop, and all of the circles and lines were done in Cinema 4D, then I brought them into After Effects with the 3D data to composite the type and images, add color, and give it the finishing touches. My friend Ryan Griffin came through with the music, he made that song in 20 minutes, it was crazy.
I hope you got an A on this piece! What’s next, when do you graduate?
Thanks, I actually did get an A. I’m working on my senior thesis right now, then I graduate this in May. I’m excited to see what comes after that.
Nice, well good luck! Thanks for the info on this.