Blog #2

THIS ONES FOR WILLY!

So I checked out the site Feed and found this link to Special Guest. "Special Guest is the playful alter ego of 1st Ave. Machine, a visual storytelling outfit based in New York and London featuring work by Aaron Duffy, Vinicios Costa and Asif Mian." 

I was impressed with all of the work I found. It is hard to just talk about one piece that has merit because to me they all had it. They were all great examples of what we are trying to achieve in motion design. Great stop motion and use of After Effects. I would highly recommend that you check out their site. You can find the link for Special Guest on Feed.

The piece I want to talk about is the one for MTV VMAS Brazil. I believe it was done in After Effects. The use of music plays an intricate role in this piece. It has great rhythm and pace and goes perfect with the music. It also makes great use of three dimensional space, as well as camera angles. It pushes and pulls out and into images with a great use of control. This is a great example for what some of us might be trying to achieve in After Effects. I don't think this is the most technical piece but clearly inspirational to me. I just love the feel of electronic music interacting with digital media, especially motion. They just seem to go very well together. I would recommend all of their pieces on their site. Check em out! I promise it won't take long!

  http://www.specialguest.tv/

LODGER

Trevor Brooks Blog #1

www.lobo.cx

Process

The website doesn’t give to much information regarding their process and their methods of creating their various pieces. What I did find though, was that in the beginning the overall jive of the company was “to have a good time and maybe get some work done”. This concept is evident in all of their pieces. Even in the overall website layout while being very simple and seemingly less intensive on the users end, it leaves a lot open to the imagination and a lot of freedom to adapt the layout of the site without really changing the site at all.

Artistic Need

Overall the company houses the basics that you would find in any production house. The key ingredient that they all share and would have is a desire to not only have fun with the projects and products they are working with, but to also see things outside of the box. Utilizing a variety of forms in production (animation, stop-motion, collage) they all have a different aspect of solving the problem of the client’s needs while maintaining the enjoyment of the work.

Clients Needs

The clients that would seek Lobo would be in the market for something non-traditional. I don’t see Macy’s, Sears or any real bank asking this firm to do any work. Simply put the clients would have to be willing to have fun with whatever it was they needed because if they couldn’t then they wouldn’t like the overall piece that was done.

Product

The products all are motion based. The pieces range from stop motion, to traditional animation even to what appeared to be a combination of stop-motion and collage.

www.xylemdigital.com

Process

“We make smart brands smarter” from the title of the homepage you get a strong sense of what the firm is. The overall feel of the firm is that it is not just another faceless firm, but instead it is a living breathing, thinking creature that is aware of itself. Overall it seems like they tend on focus on not only revamping a image, but at the same time making sure that those in the field when they see that brand, logo or site they know it was Xylem.

Artistic Need

While alike most firms the artists need to have a sense of freedom and ability to play around with ideas it seems though while freedom is important their needs to be a sort of similarity between the brandings and designs. By doing so they reinforce the overall ghost branding if you will they Xylem does during its work.

Clients Needs

This is a firm that I think the clients would be out of the creativity room completely. They would say what they are looking for, who the audience is, and what they want it for, and maybe they would have a say in the beginning stages but until the near end product was their for review they wouldn’t be in the picture to much. It was said in another blog that it seemed like the clients were larger business, I agree. What I would like to add to this statement though is that all of the clients at the same time after the project was finished seemed to have a smaller / locally owned business feel. They all had the sense that anyone could do this, look at us we did.

Product

Their primary products are websites and what appeared to be brandings. The two major similarities that I noticed was the sense of static motion (the central objects appeared to be coming out of the background due to the ragged outlines or brightly colored shadows of the image), and the use of high contrast colors and fonts.

www.trollback.com/#/work

Process

In the first few sentences in its bio they send out their credo: Expensive and Purposeful graphics. Relaying on this statement their images and products have a wide range of sense and style that would suit each client.

Artistic Need

The artists would need to define their own style. While the important aspect is in making the client happy and giving them what they want, it seems that some pieces have a style that matches another completely different piece and such. This influence of individual styles gives the clients the mind set that while expensive and cocky they have the right to be.

Product

Their products range from various concepts. Like they say at the beginning they are expensive but the clients would be getting what they pay for. No two projects come out the same and each client can leave with that feeling

Katy Ermak Blog 1

• Process=
LOBO “seeks to employ the full extent of its capabilities to the craft, with the constant objective of doing unique work every time around”. They do this with a solid set up of designers, animators, illustrators, editors, a writer and a sound designer.
http://www.lobo.cx/

• Artistic Need=
I think the most important thing about LOBO is that they are aimed towards quality more than quantity. They seek to employ the “full extent of its capabilities to the craft with the constant objective of doing unique work every time around”. The information explains that their intention is to have a good time and maybe do some work.

• Clients Needs=
LOBO presents itself as an animation studio. Its clients include Panasonic, Boomerang Channel, Toyota, Sony Playstation, Anime Channel and much more.


• Product =
Animation projects. Example: They did a “2 day sale” for Target, which included a 23 chapter Flash-based multi-choice game. Here’s the link to play the game http://www.atmospherebbdo.com/work/target/2dayRace/race.html

Process=
Curious Pictures creates commercials in a unique way and some of their clients have included AOL, BMW, Coca Cola, Disney, Google and many MANY more.
http://www.curiouspictures.com/index.html

Artistic Need=
After reading the bios of the eight producers, they all are very professional and very fun. And all of them seem to have big dreams and goals, most of which they have already accomplished. Like the Curator of Art and Design, Dominie Mahl, created her own line of successful greeting cards in just one year.

Clients Need=
Clients who use Curious Pictures work are looking for a modern, contemporary, upbeat but professional commercials. Some of my favorite are their Target commercials and the Steve Madden commercial. http://www.curiouspictures.com/services/design.html#

Product=
Curious Pictures produces live-action, special effects, graphics, comedy, and animation of all types. Animators create TV commercials, on-air graphics/titles and television shows (recently including, Codename: Kids Next Door, Little Einsteins and Hey Joel). The best part is that their motto is “great work - make money – have fun”.
http://www.curiouspictures.com/info/index.html

Process=
The VFX Company Specializes in Motion Control. This site was kind of frustrating because unlike most of the others it doesn’t say anything about the artists or the company’s work ethic.
http://www.thevfxco.co.uk/index.htm

Artistic Needs=
Since it doesn’t explain much about the artists or production team, I will say that the work that the artists have created with their high end technology is awesome. Check out this reel. http://www.thevfxco.co.uk/commercial1.htm

Client Needs=
If a client wants an awesome commercial with many effects, this is the company to go through!

Product=
Motion Control operation for Feature Film, Commercial, Miniature, Corporate, Promo, TV and Ident work. They also offer high level of technical service and creative input simple “pack-shot” set ups to complex multi level live action scenes.

Katy Ermak Blog 1

Blog 1

1. 3AM Design http://www.3am-design.com/

Process

It is evident through the projects that 3AM Design displays on their website that freedom is an important element in their design process. 3AM looks at a product and transforms it so that it inspires imagination. The site also advertising a "ready-edit" suite with HD. 3AM features a simple site and simple examples of work. Thus, this hints towards the idea that simplicity is a huge influence on their design process. However, 3AM's projects are far from boring. The design process includes different ways of twisting products and concepts so that they catch the viewer's attention.

Artistic Needs

3AM has a distinctive style that yields a combination of reality and imagination. Once again, it is evident that freedom is a huge part of the design. The firm also defines itself by the use of simplicity. The firm utilizes the simple element of color selection to create the feel of each video project. For example, the Pop Tart commercial features bold but bright colors. The colors give the commercial a "fun" and "playful" feel. Another project that exemplifies this technique is the commercial for "Pretty Dangerous." The entire project is shot with dark shadows and dark reds. The colors itself provides the show that it is advertising with a dark and mysterious feel.

Client Needs

This design firm creates projects that advertise everything from products (Pop Tarts) to television shows. The client's are seeking this firm to place their products in the spotlight and give them an entertaining twist. My favorite project from 3AM is the Pop Tart commercial. By themselves, Pop Tarts are pretty boring. The commercial turns them into a fun breakfast food. A client would bring their product to this company because they get the job done without any frills. The end result is an advertisement that is modern and appealing to consumers because it appeals to the consumers imagination.

Product

3AM offers a variety of different products that they have created for different clients. The dominant product that is featured on the site is television shows. Each product, no matter what type, is delivered in a unique but simple manner. The commercials don't exactly focus on the product itself, which perhaps makes the product more appealing. An example would be the commercial for "Pretty Dangerous." The focus of the work is the emotions inspired by a sexy character and visions of blood. It does not give much specific reference to characters or events in the show. Thus, an audience would be intrigued by the mystery the show appears to offer.

2. NoWhere Lab http://www.nowhere-lab.net/index.html

Process

NoWhere Lab features projects that are quite different in comparison to the previous design firm (3AM). Their design processes feature bold designs with a lot motion. Fun and energy are also concepts that this design firm aims for. This is once again apparent from their busy and bold designs.

Artistic Needs

The artistic goal of this firm is to immerse the audience in the product. The designs capture attention through the utilization of motion with a distinct "retro feel." Each commercial features so much movement, that the viewer's eye is moving over the entire production space. The firm also uses simple shapes with bright colors and places them together to form complete designs with a retro feel. The reality of the product is completely exaggerated through extreme color, shape and motion. Every production exudes an extreme sense of fiction.

Client Needs

The three projects portrayed on NoWhere Lab's website feature the clients of MTV, Legos, and what I believe to be a cartoon television show. These clients chose this firm because they want their products to stand out from the rest. Instead of trying to be modern and edgy, this design firm designs commercials that make the product feel retro. An audience will be attracted to the bright colors and the busy motion of the commercials.

Products

The products advertised by NoWhere Lab are all television oriented. These products are best presented in a form that depicts their motion and actions. NoWhere Lab specializes in enhancing the motion of the products.

3. http://www.stardust.tv/

Process

Stardust creates a unique environment that is a combination of reality and cartoon worlds for the projects that they are representing. Stardust utilizes a design process that takes a product and exaggerates its qualities and/or features through the use of animation. The projects produced by Stardust embody the idea that the imagination is truly endless. Although the designs that combine the reality of the product with the fantasy of design are complex with color and movement, the elements are brought together in such a fashion that a simple idea such as "fun" is easily presented through the work.

Artistic Needs

The combination of illustration and real products creates a very artistic reality. Stardust uses animation to highlight the ideas surrounding the product. Most of the projects presented in the site use bright colors and "happy" animations. The animation also aim to illustrate what might be going on inside the head of the character if there is one. This brings the audience in touch with the product being described. The audience can better relate to the character and/or the product.

Client Needs

The clients of Stardust include Scion, Microsoft, Nissan, BMW and many others. Judging by their impressive list of clients, it can be assumed that many companies like the artistic style of Stardust. No matter what the company or product, the same style of reality and animation is used in all the commercials. Clients that come to Stardust need an innovative way to reach out to the intended audience and allow them to relate to the product at hand.

Product

Stardust creates projects for a variety of products that range from automobiles to computers. A common trend shared by all these products is that they are modern creations. The cars are of the latest designs and the computers boast the latest technologies. The artistic style used by Stardust brings such products close to the audience. The commercials present the idea that these technologies can be used and loved by everyone.


-Laura Hemler

All around design

PSYOP:

Process

PSYOP takes its name from the Government’s Psych Operations Div. and furthered their inspiration by also adopting the (in this case artistic) statement of “Persuade, Change, and Influence.” The company seeks to engender a positive feeling from the media they present to consumers, hoping that they will seek out the work that PSYOP presents and promotes of their own accord.

Artistic Need

The company seeks to have fun with their work, and they have a “painterly” style which is loose and dynamic. They want their market audience to enjoy the product that they have presented them with, instead of feeling bombarded by the constant onslaught of “sellsellsell” that they are used to.

Client Need

Clients of the design firm are generally seeking a creative and pleasurable solution to their marketing requirements. Clients of PSYOP should favour a forward thinking and optimistic approach to advertising, and if they are using the firm to the best of their abilities will have a variety of print, digital, and web media.

Product

The final solution to the issues that the designers face tends towards both being casual and professional, balancing on a fine line between the two. The “Lugz” commercial is a great example of this, keeping a creative idea flowing throughout while still presenting a sharp and memorable experience.

 

Xylem:

Process

The artistic statement of the company is “We make smart brands smarter.”  They work with big brand names such as Jimmy Johns and Einstein’s Bagels in order to create a sharp, popular design.  Primarily it appears that their work is on the digital field, specifically site design.

Artistic Need

Xylem seeks to be on the cutting edge of style, focusing on clean cut and “high fashion” styles of art that follow the current trends in western society.

Client Need

Clients, as mentioned previously, tend to be corporations instead of small businesses. They generally require a style overhaul in order to bring them into the current generation of design.

Product

Xylem delivers a trendy, flashy and clean cut product for their consumers. They press the envelope but don’t try to stand outside of it, and this is what their clients are looking for.

 

Trollbäck + Company:

Process

“Trollbäck + Company is a visual and conceptual creative studio producing expressive and purposeful graphics, design and live action for advertising, broadcast, and entertainment.” The company dabbles in a myriad of types of design as well as styles.

Artistic Need

The design firm focuses mostly on rebranding and brand creation for companies. They want to create a “compelling and focused message” as well as combining high profile work with up and coming companies in order to keep their incoming work as diverse as possible.

Client Need

Both large and small companies who require either branding or re-branding will seek out this company in order to create a refined image to present to the public.

Product

The outcome of each project depends upon the needs and the desires of the company who is seeking them out. The style of the company incorporates versatility with refinement.